Patent ID: 7910538

Claim:
A detergent composition comprising: at most about 15% by weight of one or more builders selected from the group consisting of phosphate builders, aluminosilicate builders, polycarboxylic acid builders, and additional silicate builders; and at least one sulfate or sulfonate anionic surfactant, each sulfate or sulfonate anionic surfactant in the detergent composition being selected from the group consisting of: (i) an alkyl sulfate surfactant consisting of molecules having formula R 1 —O—SO 3 − M + , such that from about 85% to about 100% by weight of the molecules having formula R 1 —O—SO 3 − M + in the detergent composition are molecules having formula R 3 —O—SO 3 − M + ; (ii) an alkyl phenyl sulfonate surfactant consisting of molecules having formula R 2 -Ph-SO 3 − M + , such that from about 75% to about 100% by weight of the molecules having formula R 2 -Ph-SO 3 − M + in the detergent composition are molecules having formula R 4 -Ph-SO 3 − M + ; (iii) an alkyl sulfonate surfactant consisting of molecules having formula R 1 —SO 3 − M + , such that from about 85% to about 100% by weight of the molecules having formula R 1 —SO 3 − M + in the detergent composition are molecules having the formula R 3 —SO 3 − M + ; and (iv) mixtures of any of these, where: each R 1 is a linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted, optionally alkoxylated, C 8 -C 18 alkyl group; each R 2 is a linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted, optionally alkoxylated, C 8 -C 15 alkyl group; each R 3 is a linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted, optionally alkoxylated, C 8 -C 15 alkyl group; each R 4 is a linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted, optionally alkoxylated, C 8 -C 12 alkyl group; each M + , identical or different, is a proton or a cation that provides charge neutrality; and Ph is a phenyl group, optionally substituted.