EP0123400A2

EP0123400A2 - Fabric conditioning agents, compositions and processes

Info

Publication number: EP0123400A2
Application number: EP84301722A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nabil George Kardouche; Philip Joseph Vincent Giardina
Original assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
Current assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
Priority date: 1983-03-18
Filing date: 1984-03-14
Publication date: 1984-10-31
Also published as: CA1208855A; EP0123400A3; JPS6017171A; GR81805B

Abstract

Through-the-wash fabric conditioning compositions are disclosed especially for use with machine dryers that minimize adverse reactions taking place in the wash that otherwise adversely affect the performance of the separate detergent and fabric conditioning ingredients. This is accomplished by utilizing salts of certain tertiary amines and carboxylic acids in the form of 0.05 to 2 mm. nodules that pass virtually unchanged through the wash and rinse; become entangled in the fabrics when spun or wrung out; and then melt, spread, and condition the fabrics when heated in a dryer.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to novel fabric conditioning agents and compositions which are especially useful in a laundry process that involves washing followed by drying in a machine dryer at elevated temperatures. Fabric cleaning and/or stain removal is provided in the washer; and fabric conditioning, i.e. softening and destaticization, is provided principally in the dryer.

BACKGROUND ART

There have been a great many disclosures of compositions which, when used separately, provide detergency, stain removal and fabric conditioning benefits. By fabric conditioning is meant improving softness, i.e. making its "handle" or texture more smooth, pliable and fluffy to the touch; and also reducing static "cling" in the fabrics, i.e. destaticizing. Perhaps the most common fabric conditioners known in the art are cationic compounds, especially quaternary ammonium and imidazolinium salts. These compounds are widely marketed for home use in the form of liquid emulsions. They must be added to the home laundry in the rinse cycle, not the wash, because cationic fabric conditioners interact with anionic substances present in the wash, such as anionic surfactants and builder salts, thereby rendering both relatively ineffective. A commercial fabric conditioner of this type is DOWNY ® The Procter & Gamble Company.
Another type of compound known for this purpose comprises certain tertiary amines, as disclosed in Kenyon, Canadian Patent no. 1,087,352 issued October 14, 1980. Clay as a fabric conditioning ingredient is disclosed in Storm et al, U.S. Patent No. 4,062,647 issued December 13, 1977.
Certain compositions are already known that provide fabrics with a detergency treatment in a washer combined with a degree of fabric conditioning treatment in a subsequent machine dryer. Compositions of this kind are known in the art as through-the-wash fabric conditioners, and are convenient to use in that they do not require the use of a second product in the rinse cycle or in the dryer to accomplish the fabric conditioning objective. Baskerville, Jr. and Schiro, incorporated herein by reference, disclose in U.S. patent 3,936,537 issued on February 3, 1976 a composition of this type wherein the fabric conditioning agents are quaternary ammonium compounds.
The compositions of Baskerville et al comprise a mixture of two components: one component is granular and consists of surfactant, detergency builder, and other conventional detergent adjuncts; while the other component consists of particles ranging in size from 10 to 500 microns which comprise an intimate mixture of a quaternary ammonium compound and a dispersion inhibitor in the form of a solid organic material which can be a paraffin wax, alcohol, aliphatic carboxylic acid, or an ester or polyethoxylate thereof which has a solubility in water of 50 ppm. max. at 25°C. and has a softening point in the range of 100 to 200°F (about 38 to 93 °C.).
A commercial cleaning/conditioning product which has utilized the teachings of Baskerville, Jr. et al is BOLD-3 @ The Procter & Gamble Company.
Through-the-wash compositions utilizing a mixture of tertiary amines and clay as fabric conditioner are disclosed in Crisp et al, European Patent Publication no. 0,011,340 published May 28, 1980.
Battrell, in U.S. Patent no. 4,292,035 issued September 29, 1981, prepared through-the-wash compositions wherein fabric softening was accomplished by a complex of clay with certain nitrogen containing organic compounds defined as primary, secondary and tertiary amines and their water soluble or water dispersible salts and organic quaternary ammonium, phosphonium and sulfonium compounds. The water soluble or water dispersable salts that were exemplified were those having, as their anion, hydroxide, chloride, bromide, sulfate or methosulfate. An example of salts of this kind was primary tallow amine hydrochloride.
Another means of providing fabric conditioning was disclosed in Gaiser, U.S. Patent no. 3,442,692 issued May 6, 1969, as an article of manufacture comprising a fabric conditioning composition in conjunction with a dispensing means for use in a machine dryer. Preferred articles had the fabric conditioning composition releasably affixed to an absorbent substrate, such as a nonwoven tissue, in the form of an impregnate or coating of cationic fabric conditioning agent. The use of certain polyols, especially sorbitan esters, as auxiliary fabric conditioning agents in products of this kind is disclosed in Zaki et ai, U.S. Patent 4,022,938 issued May 10, 1977. A commercial product that has utilized the teachings of Gaiser and Zaki et al is BOUNCE ® The Procter & Gamble Company,
Fabric conditioning articles of the Gaiser type wherein the fabric conditioning composition was comprised of certain amine salts are disclosed by Kardouche in U.S. Patent 4,237,155 issued December 2, 1980, incorporated herein by reference. This patent alluded to the possibility of adding these amine salts to the wash cycle or to the rinse cycle of a typical washing operation, and apparently envisaged a softening process taking place during the one or the other of those two processes, respectively.
Clear distinctions between amines, amides, amine salts, quaternary ammonium salts, and other classes of nitrogen-containing chemical compounds appear in every textbook of organic chemistry. Fieser and Fieser in Organic Chemistry, 2nd Ed., Heath, Boston U.S.A. (1950) point out a number of such distinctions in chapter 10 beginning at page 220. Amine salts are . characterized as typically odorless, nonvolatile solids, even though the amines from which they are derived are odoriferous gases or liquids. The salts are ionic in nature in the solid state, and possess characteristically sharp melting points which are higher than those of the corresponding amines. Low molecular weight amine salts are readily soluble in water and exist in the solution in ionized condition.

SUMMARIZED DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of this invention is a salt of a tertiary amine and a carboxylic acid in the novel form of discrete nodules. These nodules have been found suitable for marketing as a fabric conditioning agent to be added to a laundry wash liquor at the beginning of the cycle, along with a conventional detergent product. The particle size of these amine salt nodules is from about 0.05 to about 2 mm., and the melting point is preferably from about 35 to about 115 °C.
The tertiary amine used to prepare the amine salt of this invention has the formula
wherein R₁, R₂ and R3 are each, independently, saturated or unsaturated and wherein R₁ is a long chain aliphatic group having from 12 to 22 carbon atoms and R₂ and R₃ are the same or different from each other and are selected from the group consisting of aliphatic groups containing from 1 to 22 carbon atoms, hydroxyalkyl groups of the formula -R₄OH wherein Rq is an alkylene group having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and alkyl ether groups having the formula R₅O(C_nH_2nO)_m- wherein R₅is hydrogen or an alkyl or alkenyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, n is 2 or 3, and m is from 1 to 20.
The carboxylic acid used to prepare the amine salt of this invention has the formula
wherein R₆ is hydrogen, or an alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl or aralkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms, or a substituted alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl, or aralkyl group having from 1 to 22 carbon atoms wherein the substituents are selected from the group consisting of halogen, carboxyl, or hydroxyl.
The amine salt is formed by reacting the amine and the carboxylic acid together to form a melt, which is then chilled in a manner that produces discrete nodules. Suitable nodulizing processes are prilling, flaking on a chill roll, and cooling in a scraped wall heat exchanger followed by extruding.
A second embodiment of this invention is a fabric conditioning/stain removal composition which comprises a blend of the amine salt nodules described supra with nodules of enzyme, peroxy bleach or porphine bleach prepared in a conventional manner.
A third embodiment of this invention is a through-the-wash fabric cleaning/fabric conditioning composition which comprises a blend of the amine salt nodules described supra with detergent granules containing a detergency builder and an anionic, nonionic, amphoteric or zwitterionic surfactant.
In its processing embodiment, this invention provides. a process for conditioning fabrics which comprises the steps of (a) contacting the fabrics with an effective amount of the amine salt defined above in nodule form, and (b) subjecting the fabrics to a temperature within the range from about 40 "C. to about 95 °C. The nodules are preferably applied to the fabrics, from an aqueous bath, more preferably a laundry wash or rinse liquor; and the fabrics are preferably caused to tumble in relative motion to each other while being subjected to the heat.
This invention recognizes that a fabric conditioning agent for through-the-wash applications should be present in a form that can be added to the wash; survives the wash and rinse processes virtually unscathed; and is entrapped within the fabrics when they are wrung out or spun before drying. Furthermore, the chemical entity of which the fabric conditioning agent is comprised should distribute well on and through the fabrics in a mechanical drying process, and should be intrinsically a compound that effectively softens and effectively destaticizes fabrics. The amine salt nodules herein described meet each and every one of these varied criteria exceptionally well.
The amine salts utilized in this invention effectively perform fabric softening and destaticizing functions. It is not represented that amine salts are superior to conventional fabric conditioners when used conventionally in the laundry rinse. What has not been taught or suggested in the prior art is that amine salts, when in the form of discrete nodules, constitute a through-the-wash fabric conditioning agent that accomplishes results never before achieved. These nodules, when added at the beginning of the wash cycle, pass through the wash and the rinse cycles virtually unaffected by other materials that are present, and in turn do not themselves affect those other materials. This occurs whether the nodules are added, together with a conventional detergent composition, in the form of a separate fabric conditioning agent, or as part of a fabric conditioninglstain removal composition; or whether the nodules are added as part of a fabric cleaning/ conditioning product which constitutes the sole functional composition in the laundry bath. Accordingly, this invention makes possible for the first time the economic formulation of a multi-purpose product that cleans as well as comparable single- purpose detergent compositions and conditions fabrics as well as comparable single purpose fabric conditioning agents. Compromises are no longer necessary.
All compositional embodiments of this invention are through-the-wash products. They all utilize amine salt nodule technology which provides superior performance to such products than compositions disclosed heretofore.
The several embodiments of this invention are improvements over the prior art in a number of different dimensions. Amine salt nodules, when used as a single purpose _'product, make possible the convenience of adding an effective fabric conditioner to the laundry at the same time as a conventional detergent product is added, thereby eliminating the need to add anything to the laundry at a different time, e.g. in the rinse or in the dryer.
The fabric conditioning/stain removal product of this invention is a multi-purpose laundry additive that also can be put into the laundry tub along with the regular laundry detergent product. Laundry additives containing enzymes and/or bleach are widely sold to boost the effectiveness of ordinary detergent products, for example BIZ @ The Procter ε Gamble Company. This invention makes possible an improved laundry additive that also effectively conditions the fabrics.
A fabric cleaning/conditioning product makes possible a single laundry product that effectively combines the two functions, cleaning and conditioning. It is simple and convenient to use, and does not require adding anything to the laundry at a different time.
Conventional cationic fabric conditioners suffer from a serious -disadvantage in through-the-wash products: they are partially soluble under washing conditions. They interact with the anionic substances present in the laundry liquor, especially the anionic surtactants often used. This interaction negates the effectiveness of whatever materials are involved therewith. The result is less effective softening, less effective destaticization, and less effective detergency than would otherwise be obtained. Previous attempts to protect these materials from contact with the laundry liquor, as disclosed for example in Baskerville et al cited hereinbefore, have resulted in particles having melting points so low that they are not assured of surviving unscathed through the wash cycle, especially when hot water is used.
In contrast therewith, the amine salts of this invention exist in the form of ion pairs within discrete nodules. Their high and sharp melting points cause them to neither appreciably melt nor dissolve in the laundry baths at the mildly elevated temperatures and at the pH's encountered in the wash and in the rinse, respectively. Accordingly, the functions of the fabric conditioner, the surfactant, the builder and indeed all other ingredients are accomplished just as though the products were utilized independently.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The components of this invention in its several embodiments are described individually as follows:

The Essential Fabric Conditioning Compounds

The fabric conditioning compounds essential to this invention are carboxylic acid salts of a tertiary amine which has at least one long aliphatic chain containing from about 12 to about 22 carbon atoms.
The tertiary amine salts are a direct product of the reaction between a tertiary amine and a carboxylic acid.
The tertiary amines utilized in the present invention have the formula
wherein R₁, R₂ and R₃ are each, independently, saturated or unsaturated and wherein R₁ is a long chain aliphatic group having from 12 to 22 carbon atoms and R₂ and R₃ are the same or different from each other and are selected from the group consisting of aliphatic groups containing from 1 to 22 carbon atoms, hydroxyalkyl groups, of the formula -R₄OH wherein R₄ is an alkylene group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and alkyl ether groups having the formula R₅O(C_nH_2nO)_m- wherein R₅ is hydrogen or an alkyl or alkenyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, n is 2 or 3, and m is from 1 to 20. Preferred amines are those wherein R₁ is an aliphatic alkyl chain having from 12 to 22 carbon atoms, R₂ is an aliphatic alkyl chain having from 12 to 22 carbon atoms, and R₃ is an aliphatic alkyl chain having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms. Especially preferred amines are those wherein R₁ and R₂ are each, independently, a saturated linear alkyl chain having from 16 to 18 carbon atoms, and R₃ is methyl.
Examples of specific tertiary amines are: lauryldimethyl- amine, myristytdiethylamine, stearyldimethylamine, tallowdimethyl- amine, coconutdimethylamine, dilaurylmethylamine, distearylmethylamine, ditallowmethylamine, oleyldimethylamine, dioleyl- propylamine, lauryldi(3-hydroxypropyl)amine, stearyldi(2-hydroxyethyl)amine, trilaurylamine, laurylethylmethylamine, and
The carboxylic acids utilized in the present invention have the formula
wherein R₆ is hydrogen, or an alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl or aralkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms, or a substituted alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl, or aralkyl group having of from 1 to 22 carbon atoms wherein the substituents are selected from the group consisting of halogen, carboxyl, or hydroxyl. Preferred fatty acids are those wherein R₆ is a long chain, unsubstituted alkyl or alkenyl group having from 11 to 21 carbon atoms; more preferably a saturated linear alkyi group having from 15 to 17 carbon atoms.
Examples of specific carboxylic acids are: formic acid, acetic acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, oxalic acid, adipic acid, 12-hydroxy stearic acid, benzoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, 3-chloro benzoic acid, 4-nitro benzoic acid, 4-ethyl benzoic acid, 4-(2-chloroethyl)-benzoic acid, phenylacetic acid, (4-chlorophenyl)acetic acid, (4-hydroxyphenyl)acetic acid, and phthalic acid.
Preferred carboxylic acids are lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic and mixtures thereof.
The amine salt is formed by a simple addition reaction, well known in the art, whereby the tertiary amine is dissolved in a solvent such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, etc., and the acid is added to the amine solution. Alternatively, the amine and acid can simply be mixed and melted together with stirring to form the salt. The molten amine salt can then be solidified by cooling to room temperature. If the acid used to form the amine salt is a polybasic acid (e.g., oxalic acid), the salt can be monobasic or polybasic, i.e., either one or more of the acid groups can be utilized to neutralize the amine.
The formation of amine salts proceeds according to the following reaction :
If the reaction is carried out in a lower alcohol solvent medium, the salt precipitates from solution, and can be recovered either by filtration and/or evaporation of the solvent. Preferably the amine and acid pair used in preparing amine salts of the present invention should be chosen so as to produce amine salts having a melting point somewhere within the range of from about 35 °C. to 115 °C. (more preferably 35 °C. to 85 °C.; most preferably 55-65 °C.). Such salts will be solid at room temperature but will melt at typical machine dryer operating temperatures. Amine salts having melting points higher than this range can be used in the present invention by formulating them into compositions which contain other materials as disclosed hereinafter so that the formulated composition has a melting point within the desired range.
A molar ratio of amine to fatty acid of about 1:1 results in the formation of the purest amine salt and the sharpest melting point. If ratios higher or lower than this are used, the end product of this reaction will contain the amine salt plus unreacted amine or unreacted carboxylic acid, respectively. These unreacted compounds affect the nodules in a similar manner as do the organic substances discussed in the section hereinafter which is entitled "Auxiliary Fabric Conditioning Agents and Additives". Accordingly the considerations involved in changing the molar ratio of amine to fatty acid are dealt with therein.
Preferred amine salts for use herein are those wherein the amine moiety is a C₁₂ to C₂₂ alkyl or alkenyl dimethyl amine or a di-C₁₂ to C₂₂ alkyl or alkenyl methyl amine, and the acid moiety is a C₁₂ to C₂₂ alkyl or alkenyl nonocarboxylic acid. The amine and the acid, respectively, used to form the amine salt will often be of mixed chain lengths rather than single chain lengths, since these materials are normally derived from natural fats and oils, or synthetic processes which produce a mixture of chain lengths. Also, it is often desirable to utilize mixtures of different chain lengths in order to modify the physical or performance characteristics of the softening compositions.
An especially preferred amine. salt is methylditallowamine hydrotallowate, where the term tallow refers to the mixture of alkyl moieties derived from tallow and the term tallowate refers to the mixture of fatty acid moieties derived from tallow. This compound can also be referred to as methylditallowammonium tallowate or sometimes as methylditallowamine tallowate. Other preferred amine salts for use in the present invention are stearyidimethyiamine hydrostearate, stearyldimethylamine hydro- palmitate, distearylmethylamine hyaropalmitate, distearylmethylamine hydroiaurate, and mixtures thereof. A particularly preferred mixture is stearyldimethylamine hydrostearate and distearylmethylamine hydromyristate.
The fabric conditioning compounds of this invention are present in the detergent composition in the form of separate and discrete nodules. The term "nodule" is used generically herein to mean any discrete physical form that has been made by chilling from a melt. One process for making such nodules is prilling, e.g. in a tower. Another process is flaking on a chill roll. Still another method is based on cooling in a scraped wall heat exchanger and then extruding. Grinding or other comminuting processes can also be employed. It is also possible to produce very tiny particles in the manner described supra, and then form the nodules of this invention by a process involving agglomeration, pelletizing, briquetting, or the like. All these processes are conventional and well known in the art in relation to other materials.
It is intended that the fabric conditioning agents function primarily in the dryer, and accordingly it is undesirable that they melt or dissolve to any great extent in the washer. Time, temperature and degree of agitation are not under the control of the product formulator, so nodules must be made that survive well over the entire range encountered in the real world of manual and automatic washing processes, soaking and pretreating, high and low temperature.
The fabric conditioning nodules, whether in the form of prills, flakes, noodles, or other discrete particles, are of such a size and composition that they become trapped, i.e. entangled in the clothes as discrete particles when spun or wrung out at the end of the rinse cycle. They remain with the fabrics when transferred to a mechanical drier; and then melt, spread, and condition the fabrics when heated to the working temperature of a mechanical dryer.
Configuration of the nodules also affects performance in the dryer. The larger nodules will tend to be entrapped by the outer surfaces of the fabrics, while the smaller nodules will penetrate further toward the inner fibers. Thus larger nodules tend to exert a stronger destaticizing effect, which is a fabric surface phenomenon; while smaller nodules tend to exert a stronger softening effect, which is in part a function of how individual fibers slide upon one another. Nodule penetration into the fabrics is very much affected by the geometry of the nodule as well as its size, decreasing in order from spheres to cylinders to plates (e.g. from prills to noodles to flakes). This provides another degree of freedom for the artisan to tailor make nodules to suit his particular purposes in the dryer as well as in the wash and rinse.
An approximation for the purpose of this invention is that the controlling dimension is the mean distance of the shortest paths from the central points of the nodules to the surface. Thus, for spheres or cylinders, this dimension is the radius; for ellipsoids, the minor radius; for plates, half the thickness of the plates. For convenience, the phrases nodule size and particle size as used herein will refer to twice this dimension; i.e. the diameter of spheres or cylinders, the thickness of plates, etc.
Using this definition of nodule size, sizes from about 0.05 to about 2 mm. are satisfactory; sizes from about 0.1 to about 1 mm. are preferred; and sizes from about 0.2 to about 0.7 mm. are especially preferred.

Auxiliary Fabrics Conditioning Agents and Additives

The cleaning/ conditioning compositions of this invention can be formulated with the fabric conditioning compounds discussed supra as the sole conditioning agents of the composition. Alternatively, however, it is possible to utilize other conditioning agents as well.
Mineral substances. One class of auxiliary fabric conditioning agent is smectite clay. This mineral is disclosed in Storm et ai, cited hereinbefore, as having both fabric softening and destaticizing properties. Clay particles carry through the washing and rinsing cycles of a laundry process, became trapped in the fabrics, and are available to condition the fabrics after subsequent drying. Inasmuch as the mechanisms by which fabric are conditioned by amine salts and by clay are different, a skilled artisan is able to utilize both technologies to formulate a product to best meet his specific needs. In general terms, amine salt is a good softening agent and an especially good destaticizing agent, while clay is a good softening agent. A blend of the two utilizes these properties to great advantage and is a preferred composition. Suitable amounts of clay are within the range from about 1 % to about 20 % by weight of the composition, preferably from about 2 % to about 12 %. Clay can be added to the detergent granule portion of the compositions, or in limited proportions can be part of the amine salt nodules.
As described in Storm et al, preferred smectite clays have a cation exchange capacity of at least 60 meq./100 gm. and can be sodium or calcium montmorillonites; lithium, sodium or magnesium saponites; or lithium, sodium or magnesium hectorites. Sodium montmorillonites are especially preferred, an example of which is Gelwhite GP ® which is marketed by Georgia Kaolin Company.
Organic substances. A second class of auxiliary fabric conditioning agents includes cationic compounds such as quaternary ammonium compounds, quaternary imidazolinium compounds and polyamido quaternized biurets. Also included in this class are nonionic compounds such as protonated dipolyethoxy monoalkyl amine; C₁₀-C₂₆ fatty acid esters of mono- or polyhydroxy alcohols containing 1-12 carbon atoms, especially glycerol esters; sorbitan esters, especially sorbitan mono- and di-esters of C₁₂-C₂₀ fatty acids; and tertiary amines which have an iso-electric point from 8.3 to 9.8 and the structure R₁R₂R₃N where R₁ is an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms and R₂ and R₃ are C₁₀-C₂₆ linear alkyl or alkenyl groups.
The abovementioned cationic and nonionic compounds are most effectively employed by incorporating them into the amine salt nodules of this invention. Even within the nodules, however, they should be employed in limited quantities, inasmuch as they tend to increase the solubility, lower the melting point, and broaden the melting point range. Suitable quantities of compounds of this type, when used at all, are from about 1 % to about 200 % based on the weight of the nodules, preferably from about 1 % to about 40 %. A person skilled in the art will recognize that compounds that are highly water soluble or have a melting point greatly different from the amine salts themselves will appreciably affect the properties of the nodules, and accordingly those compounds will be appropriate for use in relatively lower amounts than compounds that are less water soluble and have melting points closer to those of the amine salts. However, these auxiliaries can be useful because a suitable material can adjust physical properties into the desired range for an amine salt nodule whose chemical fabric conditioning properties are good but whose physical properties are not altogether satisfactory alone. This technique can be employed, for example, to use an amine salt that is a good softener but has too high a melting point when pure.
Another class of compounds that can be optionally added to the nodules influence the properties of the nodules but are not themselves fabric conditioning agents. Such compounds are herein referred to as fabric conditioning additives. Among materials of this kind are ethoxylated surfactants, fatty alcohols and acids, waxes, resins and solvents. The same considerations apply as for the cationic and nonionic conditioning agents described above, and they can be used in the same proportions.
As discussed hereinbefore, use of a molar excess of either the amine or the carboxylic acid used to synthesize the amine salts of this invention will result in unreacted amounts of whichever of these two ingredients is used in excess. The same general considerations apply to these unreacted ingredients that apply to the same ingredients when added separately, and apply to the cationic and nonionic conditioning agents and the conditioning additives discussed above.

Surfactant

According to one embodiment of this invention there is utilized a surfactant selected from the group consisting of anionic, nonionic, ampholytic and zwitterionic detergents and mixtures thereof.
Preferred anionic non-soap surfactants are water soluble salts of alkyl benzene sulfonate, alkyl sulfate, alkyl polyethoxy ether sulfate, paraffin sulfonate, alpha-olefin sulfonate, alpha-sulfocarboxylates and their esters, alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonate, fatty acid monoglyceride sulfates and sulfonates, alkyl phenol polyethoxy ether sulfate, 2-acyloxy-alkane-I-sulfonate, and beta-alkyloxy alkane sulfonate. Soaps are also preferred anionic surfactants.
Especially preferred alkyl benzene sulfonates have about 9 to about 15 carbon atoms in a linear or branched alkyl chain, more especially about 11 to about 13 carbon atoms. Especially preferred alkyl sulfate has about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, more especially from about 12 to about 18 carbon atoms. Especially preferred alkyl polyethoxy ether sulfate has about 10 to about 18 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain and has an average of about 1 to about 12 2 -CH2CH20- groups per molecule, especially about 10 to about 16 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain and an average of about 1 to about 6 -CH₂CH₂0- groups per molecule.
Especially preferred paraffin sulfonates are essentially linear and contain from about 8 to about 24 carbon atoms, more especially from about 14 to about 18 carbon atoms. Especially preferred alpha-olefin sulfonate has about 10 to about 24 carbon atoms, more especially about 14 to about 16 carbon atoms; alpha-olefin sulfonates can be made by reaction with sulfur trioxide followed by neutralization under conditions such that any sultones present are hydrolyzed to the corresponding hydroxy alkane sulfonates. Especially preferred alpha-sulfocarboxylates contain from about 6 to about 20 carbon atoms; included herein are not only the salts of alpha-sulfonated fatty acids but also their esters made from alcohols containing about 1 to about 14 carbon atoms.
Especially preferred alkyl glyceryl ether sulfates are ethers of alcohols having about 10 to about 18 carbon atoms, more especially those derived from coconut oil and tallow. Especially preferred alkyl phenol polyethoxy ether sulfate has about 8 to about 12 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain and an average of about 1 to about 10 -CH₂CH₂0- groups per molecule. Especially preferred 2-acyloxy-alkane-l-sulfonates contain from about 2 to about 9 carbon atoms in the aryl group and about 9 to about 23 carbon atoms in the alkane moiety. Especially preferred beta-alkyloxy alkane sulfonate contains about 1 to about 3 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and about 8 to about 20 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety.
The alkyl chains of the foregoing non-soap anionic surfactants can be derived from natural sources such as coconut oil or tallow, or can be made synthetically as for example using the Ziegler or Oxo processes. Water solubility can be achieved by using alkali metal, ammonium, or alkanolammonium cations; sodium is preferred. Magnesium and calcium are preferred cations under circumstances described by Belgian Pat. No. 843,636 invented by Jones et al, issued December 30, 1976. Mixtures of anionic surfactants are contemplated by this invention; a preferred mixture contains alkyl benzene sulfonate having 11 to 13 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and alkyl polyethoxy alcohol sulfate having 10 to 16 carbon atoms in the alkyl group and an average degree of ethoxylation of 1 to 6.
Especially preferred soaps contain about 8 to about 24 carbon atoms, more especially about 12 to about 18 carbon atoms. Soaps can be made by direct saponification of natural fats and oils such as coconut oil, tallow and fish oil, or by the neutralization of free fatty acids obtained from either natural or synthetic sources. The soap cation can be alkali metal, ammonium or alkanolammonium; sodium is preferred.
Preferred nonionic surfactants are water soluble compounds produced by the condensation of ethylene oxide with a hydrophobic compound such as an alcohol, alkyl phenol, polypropoxy glycol, or polypropoxy ethylene diamine.
Especially preferred polyethoxy alcohols are the condensation product of 1 to 30 mols of ethylene oxide with 1 mol of branched or straight chain, primary or secondary aliphatic alcohol having from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms; more especially 1 to 6 mols of ethylene oxide condensed with 1 mol of straight or branched chain, primary or secondary aliphatic alcohol having from about 10 to about 16 carbon atoms; certain species of polyethoxy alcohols are commercially available from the Shell Chemical Company under the trade name "Neodol". Especially preferred polyethoxy alkyl phenols are the condensation product of about 1 to about 30 mols of ethylene oxide with 1 mol of alkyl phenol having a branched or straight chain alkyl group containing about 6 to about 12 carbon atoms; certain species of polyethoxy alkyl phenols are commercially available from the GAF Corporation under the trade name "Igepal".
Especially preferred polyethoxy polypropoxy glycols are commercially available from BASF-Wyandotte under the trade name "Pturonic". Especially preferred condensates of ethylene oxide with the reaction product of propylene oxide and ethylene diamine are commercially available from BASF-Wyandotte under the trade name "Tetronic".
Preferred semi-polar surfactants are water soluble amine oxides containing one alkyl moiety of from about 10 to 28 carbon atoms and 2 moieties selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups and hydroxyalkyl groups containing from 1 to about 3 carbon atoms, and especially alkyl dimethyl amine oxides wherein the alkyl group contains from about 11 to 16 carbon atoms; water soluble phosphine oxide detergents containing one alkyl moiety of about 10 to 28 carbon atoms and 2 moieties selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups and hydroxyalkyl groups containing from about 1 to 3 carbon atoms; and water soluble sulfoxide detergents containing one alkyl moiety of from about 10 to 28 carbon atoms and a moiety selected from the group consisting of alkyl and hydroxyalkyl moieties of from 1 to 3 carbon atoms.
Preferred ampholytic surfactants are water soluble derivatives of aliphatic secondary and tertiary amines in which the aliphatic moiety can be straight chain or branched and wherein one of the aliphatic substituents contains from about 8 to 18 carbon atoms and one contains an anionic water-solubilizing group, e.g. carboxy, sulfonate, sulfate, phosphate, or phosphonate.
Preferred zwitterionic surfactants are water soluble derivatives of aliphatic quaternary ammonium, phosphonium and sulfonium cationic compounds in which the aliphatic moieties can be straight chain or branched, and wherein one of the aliphatic substituents contains from about 8 to 18 carbon atoms and one contains an anionic water solubilizing group, especially alkyl- dimethyl-ammonio-propane-sulfonates and alkyl-dimethyl-ammonio- hydroxy-propane-sulfonates wherein the alkyl group in both types contains from about 14 to 18 carbon atoms.
A typical listing of the classes and species of surfactants useful in this invention appear in U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,961 issued to Norris on May 23, 1972 and hereby incorporated herein by reference. This listing, and the foregoing recitation of specific surfactant compounds and mixtures which can be used in the instant compositions, are representative of such materials but are not intended to be limiting.

Detergency Builder

According to one embodiment of this invention, there is utilized a detergent builder selected from among any of the conventional inorganic and organic water-soluble builder salts as well as various water-insoluble builders. These water-soluble builder salts serve to maintain the pH of the laundry solution in the range of from about 7 to about 12, preferably from about 8 to about 11. Furthermore, these builder salts enhance the fabric cleaning performance of the overall detergent compositions while at the same time they serve to suspend particulate soil released from the surface of the fabrics and prevent its redeposition on the fabric surfaces. Additionally, in certain compositions that contain certain smectite clays as fabric softening agents, polyanionic builder salts cause these clays to be readily and homogeneously dispersed throughout the aqueous laundering medium with a minimum of agitation. The homogeneity of the clay dispersion is necessary for the clay to function effectively as a fabric softener, while the ready dispersability allows granular detergent compositions to be formulated.
Non-limiting examples of suitable water-soluble, inorganic alkaline detergent builder salts include alkali metal carbonates, borates, phosphates, polyphosphates, bicarbonates and silicates. Specific examples of such salts are sodium and potassium tetraborates, perborates, bicarbonates, carbonates, tripolyphosphates, pyrophosphates, orthophosphates, and hexametaphosphates.
Examples of suitable organic. alkaline detergency builder salts are: (1) Water-soluble aminopolycarboxylates, e.g. sodium and potassium ethylenediaminetetraacetates, nitrilotriacetates and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-nitrilodiacetates; (2) Water-soluble salts of phytic acid, e.g., sodium and potassium phytates-see U.S. Pat. No. 2,739,942; (3) Water-soluble polyphosphonates, including specifically, sodium, potassium and lithium salts of ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonic acid; sodium, potassium and lithium salts of methylene diphosphonic acid; sodium, potassium and lithium salts of ethylene diphosphonic acid; and sodium, potassium and lithium salts of ethane-1,1,2-triphosphonic acid. Other examples include the alkali metal salts of ethane-2-carboxy-1,1- diphosphonic acid, hydroxymethanediphosphonic acid, carbonyldi- phosphonic acid, ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1,2-triphosphonic acid, ethane-2-hydroxy-1,1 ,2-triphosphonic acid, propane-1,1,3,3-tetraphosphonic acid, propane-I 1 ,2,3-tetraphosphonic acid, and propane-1 ,2,2,3-tetraphosphonic acid; (4) Water-soluble salts of polycarboxyiate polymers and copolymers as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,303,067.
In addition, other polycarboxylate builders which can be usec satisfactorily include water soluble salts of mellitic acid, citric acid, pyromellitic acid, benzene pentacarboxylic acid, oxydiacetic acia, carboxymethyloxy-succinic acid and oxydisuc- cimc acid.
Certain zeolites or aluminosilicates enchance the function of the alkaline metal pyrophosphate and add building capacity in that the aluminosilicates sequester calcium hardness. One such aluminosilicate which is useful in the compositions of the invention is a crystalline water-insoluble hydrated compound of the formula Na_z[AlO₂)_z. (SiO₂)]xH₂O, wherein z and y are integers of at least 6; the molar ratio of z to y is in the range from 1.0 to about 0.5, and x is an integer from about 15 to about 264; said aluminosilicate ion exchange material having a particle size diameter from about 0.1 micron to about 100 microns, preferably 1-10 microns; a calcium ion exchange capacity on an anhydrous basis of at least about 200 milligrams equivalent of CaCO₃ hardness per gram; and a calcium ion exchange rate on an anhydrous basis of at least about 2 grains/gallon/minute/gram. These synthetic aluminosilicates are more fully described in British Pat. No. 1,429,143 invented by Corkill et al, published Mar. 24, 1976, herein incorporated by reference.
A second water-insoluble synthetic aluminosilicate ion exchange material useful herein is amorphous in nature and has the formula Na_x(xAlO₂.Si_O2), wherein x is a number from 1.0 to 1.2 and y is 1, said amorphous material being further characterized by a Mg⁺⁺ exchange capacity of from about 50 mg eq. CaC0₃/g. to about 150 mg eq. CaCO₃/g. and a particle diameter of from about 0.01 microns to about 5 microns. This ion exchange builder is more fully described in British Pat. No. 1,470,250 invented by B. H. Gedge et al, published Apr. 14, 1977, herein incorporated by reference.

Enzyme

According to one embodiment of this invention there is utilized an enzyme selected from the group consisting of protease, amylase and iipase. A disclosure of proteolytic enzymes suitable for use in stain removal compositions appears in McCarty, U.S. Patent 3,519,570 issued July 7, 1970. One method of preparing enzyme-containing nodules is also described therein.
A disclosure of amylolytic enzymes suitable for use in stain removal compositions appears in Desforges, U.S. Patent 3,661,786 issued May 9, 1972. Stabilization of enzymes by the use of starch is also disclosed by Desforges.
A disclosure of discrete, shaped inorganic solids containing proteolytic or amylolytic enzymes appears in van Kampen et al, U.S. Patent 3,784,476 issued January 8, 1974. The selected inorganic solids were soluble builder salts: sodium and potassium sulfate and ortho-, pyro- and tripolyphosphates; ammonium carbonate, bicarbonate and chloride; and the like. Processes mentioned were milling, pelleting, extruding, stamping, pressing, granulation, etc. to form ribbons, flakes, threads, spheres, noodles, tablets, pellets, granules, etc. Individual particles were said to have a maximum dimension of not more than 15 mm.; a minimum dimension of not more than 2.5 mm.; and weigh between 0.05 and 100 mg.
Extrusions of organic solids containing a number of detergent adjuncts, including enzymes, are disclosed in Carter et ₃1, Canadian Patent 832,976 issued January 27, 1970. Suitable extrudable solids were said to be polyglycols; polyalkylene oxides, C₁₂-C₂₀ alpha-olefin sulfonates; sodium N-coconut acid-N-methyl taurate; condensates between polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide; nonionic surfactants; condensates of alkylene oxides with alcohols, alkyl phenols, amides, amines and acids; soaps, starches and gelatinized starches; gelatin; and cellulose derivatives.
The patents cited above that issued in the names of McCarty, Desforges, van Kampen et al and Carter et al are hereby incorporated herein by reference. It will be noted that the conglutinated granules of McCarty, the shaped solids of van Kampen et al, and the noodles of Carter et al, are all encompassed by the term nodules as used herein.

Peroxy Bleach

According to one embodiment of this invention there is utilized a peroxy bleach. The peroxy bleach can be inorganic or organic, and if the former can optionally contain a peroxy bleach activator.
By inorganic peroxy bleaches are meant inorganic peroxyhydrates; examples are alkali metal salts of perborates, percarbonates, persulfates, persilicates, perphosphates, and perpolyphosphates.
Preferred inorganic peroxy bleaches are the sodium and potassium salts of perborate monohydrate and perborate tetrahydrate. Sodium perborate tetrahydrate is especially preferred.
By organic peroxy bleach is meant urea peroxide CO(NH₂)₂.H₂0₂ or an organic peroxy acid or anhydride or salt thereof which has the general formula
wherein R is an alkylene group containing from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, preferably 7 to 16 carbon atoms, or a phenylene group and Y is hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, aryl or any group which provides an anionic moiety in aqueous solution. Such Y groups can include, for example,
wherein M is H or a water-soluble, salt-forming cation.
The organic peroxyacids and salts thereof operable in the instant invention can contain either one or two peroxy groups and can be either aliphatic or aromatic. When the organic peroxyacid is aliphatic, the unsubstituted acid has the general formula
where Y, for example, can be CH₃, CH₂Cl,
and n can be an integer from 1 to 20. Diperazelaic acid (n = 7) and diperdodecanedioic acid (n = 10) are the preferred compounds of this type. The alkylene linkage and/or Y (if alkyl) can contain halogen or other noninterfering substituents.
When the organic peroxyacid is aromatic, the unsubstituted acid has the general formula
wherein Y is hydrogen, halogen, alkyl;
for example. The percarboxy and Y groupings can be in any relative position around the aromatic ring. The ring and/or Y group (if alkyl) can contain any noninterfering substituents such as halogen groups. Examples of suitable aromatic peroxyacids and salts therof include monoperoxyphthalic acid, diperoxyterephthalic acid, 4-chlorodiperoxyphthalic acid, the monosodium salt of diperoxyterephthalic acid, m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid, p-nitro- peroxybenzoic acid, and diperoxyisophthalic acid.
Of all the above described organic peroxyacid compounds, the most preferred for use in the instant compositions are diperdodecanedioic acid and diperazelaic acid.
By peroxy bleach activator is meant an organic peracid precursor containing one or more acyl groups which is susceptible to perh^ydrolysis. The preferred activators are those of the N-acyl or O-acyl-compound type containing an acyl radical R-CO- wherein R is a hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms. If the radicals R are aliphatic, they preferably contain 1 to 3 carbon atoms while, if they are aromatic, they preferably contain up to 8 carbon atoms. R may be unsubstituted or substituted with C_1-3 alkoxy groups, halogen atoms, nitro- or nitrilo groups. Aromatic radicals, in particular, may be chloro- and/or nitro-substituted. Examples of activators coming within this definition are certain N-diacetylated amines, N-alkyl-N-sulfonyl carbonamides, N-acylhydantoins, cyclic N-acyihydrazides, triacyl cyanurates, benzoic and phthalic anhydrides, 0,N,N-trisubstituted hydroxyl amines, N,N'-diacyl-sulfurlamides, 1 ,3-diacyl-4,5-dialkyloxy-imidazolidines, acylated glycolurils and carboxylic esters as disclosed in de Luque, U.S. patent 4,240,920 issued December 23, 1980, herein incorporated by reference. Another useful peroxy bleach activator is C₇-C₉ acyl oxybenzene sulfonate.
Special advantages of using a combination of porphine and peroxy bleaches are also disclosed by de Luque. Combinations of enzyme and peroxy bleach are disclosed by McCarty (II), U.S. Patent 3,553,139 issued January 5, 1971.

Halogen Bleach

According to one embodiment of this invention there is utilized a halogen bleach. Examples of suitable halogen bleaches are N-chloro and N-bromo alkane sulfonamides and, more preferably, trichloro isocyanuric acid and sodium and potassium dichloroisocyanurates.

Porphine Bleach

According to one embodiment of this invention there is utilized a porphine bleach. This can be a porphine or a mono-, di-, tri-, or tetra aza porphine; metal-free or metallated with Zn(II), Ca(II!), Cd(II), Mg(II), Sc(lll), Al(III) or Sn(IV); and solubilized with one or more solubilizing groups which can be anionic, nonionic or cationic in nature. The porphine bleaches disclosed by Sakkab in U.S. patent no. 4,255,273 issued March 10, 1981 are suitable for use in this invention. Sakkab is hereby incorporated by reference.
Preferred porphine bleaches are zinc or aluminum phthalocyanine sulfonate.

Optional Ingredients

It is to be understood that the fabric cleaning/conditioning compositions of the present invention can contain other components commonly used in detergent compositions. Soil suspending agents such as water-soluble salts of carboxymethylcellulose, carboxyhydroxymethylcellulose, copolymers of maleic anhydride and vinyl ethers, polyacrylic acid and salts thereof, and polyethylene glycols having a molecular weight of about 400 to 10,000 are common components of detergent compositions and can be used at levels of about 0.5 % to about 10 % by weight. Dyes, pigments, optical brighteners, and perfumes can be added in varying amounts as desired.
Other materials such as fluorescers, antiseptics, germicides, anti-tarnish agents, anti-corrosion agents, and anti-caking agents such as sodium sulfosuccinate and sodium benzoate may also be added. Other materials used in detergent compositions that can be used herein are suds boosters, suds depressants, fillers such as sodium sulfate, pH buffers, and hydrotropes such as sodium toluene sulfonate and urea.
Other optional materials are related to fabric conditioning: finishing agents, sizing agents, and anti-wrinkling agents such as corn starch which is disclosed in Belgian patent no. 811,082 issued August 16, 1974, incorporated herein by reference.

Processes of Manufacture and Use

The amine salt nodules of the instant invention are prepared by the process described hereinbefore. In one embodiment of this invention, they are marketed in this form as a fabric. conditioning agent without further processing. They are used by simply adding to the beginning of the wash at the same time as detergent is added; the user is then relieved of the need to add additional materials to the laundry at any later stage of the washing, rinsing and mechanical drying cycle. A suitable amount of amine salt nodules in undiluted form to be added to a home washer handling 8 pounds of clothes is in the range of 1 to 20 grams.
For convenience in dispensing or for other reasons it may be desired to admix some other substance in discrete nodular form to the amine salt nodules before packaging. A skilled formulator is free to select the amount and type of diluent from among substances that are inert, cheap, convenient, safe and available.
In a second embodiment of this invention, the amine salt nodules are blended with an enzyme, peroxy bleach, halogen bleach, and/or porphine bleach to provide a combination fabric conditioning and stain removal product. These four types of stain removal ingredients have been defined hereinbefore.
The formulator of a product of this type has a wide range of compositions to choose from, according to his desire to emphasize the varied properties contributed by these different ingredients. In general terms, the five ranges of compositions identified in the table below are suitable, wherein all figures given are percentages based on the fabric conditioning/stain removal compositions. Each entry in the table includes two ranges:. the first is the broad range of operability, and the second (in parentheses) is the narrower, more preferred range. With reference to composition e, it will be noted that, in addition to the numerical limits, the composition is required to contain one or more of the enzyme or bleach additives.
Optionally, other additives may be added to this fabric conditioninglstain removal product. These other additives include, but are not limited to, surfactant or detergent builder as described hereinbefore and those materials described herein in the section entitled Optional ingredients. The term diluent as used in the table above includes not only materials that may be desired to control cost, but also to control density, improve processing (e.g. flowability), or to contribute some type of performance functionality other than fabric conditioning or stain removal.
It is preferred that the components of the fabric conditioning/stain removal product are in nodular form as broadly defined hereinbefore. Nodulizing of the stain removal ingredients can be achieved by a number of methods which are well recognized in the art. As these ingredients are intended for use in the wash, the nodules containing them should be water soluble or water dispersable. References that describe specific useful techniques are McCarty, U.S. Patent 3,519,570; van Kampen et al U.S. Patent 3,784,476; and especially Carter et al, Canadian Patent 832,976; all of which have been cited hereinbefore.
Particle size of the nodules of stain removal ingredients is preferably from about 0.05 to about 2 mm. This dimension is less critical than the comparable dimension of amine salt nodules, because the nodules of stain removal ingredients are expected only to be stable in shipping and storage and to dissolve or disperse in the wash, while the nodules of amine salt must survive the wash and rinse and be of proper size to become trapped in the fabrics and function effectively in the dryer.
In a third embodiment of this invention, the amine salt nodules are admixed by proportionation, batch or continuous, with detergent granules. This provides a through-the-wash fabric cleaning/fabric conditioning composition that accomplishes multiple functions in a single product.
The detergent granules can be formed by any of the conventional techniques i.e., by slurrying the individual components in water and then atomizing and spray-drying the resultant mixture, or by pan or drum granulation of the components. A preferred method of spray drying compositions in granule form is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,629,951 and 3,629,955 issued to Davis et al on December 28, 1971.
The fabric cleaning/fabric conditioning compositions of this invention contain an anionic, nonionic, ampholytic or zwitterionic surfactant, preferably anionic; a detergency builder; and an amine salt fabric conditioning agent in nodular form as defined herein. Preferably the surfactant is from about 1 % to about 50 % by weight of the composition, more preferably from about 5 to about 30 %, most preferably from 10 to 20 %. Preferably the detergency builder is from about 5 % to about 95 % by weight of the composition, preferably from about 10 % to about 60 %, most preferably from 15 to 40 %. Preferably the fabric conditioning agent is from about 1 to about 30 % by weight of the composition, preferably from about 3 to about 20 %, most preferably from 5 to 15 %.
The fabric cleaning/fabric conditioning compositions of this invention can also, optionally, contain other additives. These other additives include, but are not limited to, the stain removal agents disclosed hereinbefore, and those materials described herein in the section entitled Optional Ingredients. These additives can be incorporated into the detergent granules or, optionally, they can be prepared in the form of separate water soluble or water dispersable nodules as described hereinbefore. In this event, the amine salt nodules, the additive nodules, and the detergent granules are all blended by proportionation to form the final product.
The pH of the fabric conditioning agents and the fabric conditioning/stain removal compositions of this invention have no particular significance, as the former do not dissolve and the pH of the latter is dominated by that of the detergent product that is added to the wash at the same time. The pH of the cleaning/conditioning compositions is controlled in the manner that is customary for detergent compositions and is no more critical than is usual for detergent compositions. Accordingly, the pH of 1 % aqueous solutions of the fabric cleaning/ conditioning compositions is preferably from about 8 to about 12, with 9-11 especially preferred.
Each of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be used in a laundry process comprising washing, rinsing and drying. The washing step can be by hand or in a machine, manual or automatic. Soaking is optional. Rinsing can also be by hand or by machine, wrung out or spun to remove excess water. Although drying can be accomplished without difficulty by hanging on a line or spreading out in the sun, the fabric conditioning benefits of this invention are more pronounced when drying takes place in a mechanical dryer. Sometimes referred to as an automatic dryer, such a device tumbles the clothes with hot air, usually at a temperature of from about 40 to about 95 °C., most often at temperatures of 50-95 °C. The amine salt nodules of this invention, which are entangled in the clothes leaving the rinsing step, thereupon soften or melt, spreading upon the fabric surfaces to destaticize them and penetrating toward the inner fibers thereof to soften them.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

The following examples describe the formulation of specific compositions of this invention and the benefits derived therefrom. They are illustrative of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting thereof.

Example 1.

Flakes of hydrogenated tallow fatty acid (mol. wt. 274) in the amount of 21.95 pounds and chunks of di (hydrogenated tallow) methyl amine (mol. wt. 520) in the amount of 38.05 pounds were separately added in equimolar amounts to a stainless steel vessel. Heat was applied and the ingredients melted; with continuous agitation the amine salt formed and was held overnight at 180 °F.
The amine salt melt was prilled by atomizing with air in a two-fluid nozzle and dropping through a cold-air tower. Nodules comprising predominantly spherical droplets (prills) were removed from the bottom of the tower and screened through a 10 mesh screen (openings 1.65 mm.) to remove a few coarse fragments. The median particle size of the prills used was determined by sieve analysis to be 0.4 mm.; with 80 % of the clis- tribution between about 0.2 and 0.7 mm., and 96 % between about 0.1 and 0.9 mm.
Detegent granules having composition A as shown in Table I below were prepared by crutching all ingredients and spray-drying in a conventional manner.
A fabric cleaning/conditioning composition was prepared by blending 13 parts of the amine salt nodules, 5.4 parts sodium tripolyphosphate, and 10.0 parts sodium carbonate with 66.6 parts of detergent granules described above, to make Product I of this
(a) Trade Mark, Shell Chemical Company, for the nonionic surfactant prepared by condensing 6.5 mols of ethylene oxide with a mixture of C₁₂ and C₁₃ linear alcohols, and then topping to remove low molecular weight odor bodies.
(b) Perfume, brightener. invention. This product was tested for fabric destaticizing in comparison with commercially available products as will now be described.
Ninety-nine grams of product were added to a Sears KENMORE washing machine filled with 17 gallons of water having a hardness of 6 grams per U.S. gallon (Ca⁺⁺ :Mg =3:1) at 95 °F.
A wash load consisting of 33 items of mixed natural and synthetic fabrics weighing 5 t pounds was washed, rinsed in the same hardness water, and spun. The fabric bundle was then dried for 60 minutes in a Sears KENMORE electric machine dryer in a controlled humidity environment (air dew point = 0 °C.).
The foregoing treatments were repeated for a commercial fabric cleaning/conditioning product, not of this invention, identified herein as Product II. The washing treatment was also repeated for TIDE^e, a commercial detergent containing no special fabric conditioning ingredients. However when the fabrics washed with TIDE^e were dried, a sheet of BOUNCE^e was added to the dryer along with the fabrics at the beginning of the drying cycle.
Static cling was determined by two methods. After drying, the bundle of dried fabrics was transferred to a Faraday cage and the voltage was read. Individual fabrics were then removed from the bundle in the Faraday cage and any fabrics which were clinging to one another were noted; a low number
(c) Product usage was calculated as though the product contained 100 parts, even though the figures reported above add up to only 95 parts. The remainder, 5.0 parts, which was omitted for experimental convenience, would have been filled in commercial practice with additional sodium sulfate which contributes virtually nothing to the performance of cleaning or fabric conditioning compositions.
(d) Registered trademark, Sears Roebuck & Company
(e) Registered trademarks, The Procter ε Gamble Company indicates better static cling. The voltage after all fabrics were removed was rated, and the voltage difference (initial minus final) was recorded. A low number indicates a low level of static cling. The table below gives results for two comparative tests.
These results show that the destaticization provided by a fabric cleaning/ conditioning composition of this invention is considerably better than a currently marketed product of this type, and is nearly as good as is provided by using two separate-purpose products.
Similar results are obtained when the amine salt is mixed for only ten minutes after melting and before prilling.

Example 2.

A fabric cleaning/ conditioning composition was prepared by blending 13 parts of the amine salt nodules hereinbefore described in Example 1, 82 parts of detergent granules A as defined in Example 1, and 5 parts sodium montmorillonite clay. This product identified herein as Product III of this invention was tested for fabric softening in comparison with commercially available products as will now be described.
Eight and one-half grams of product were added to a tub of miniature washer filled with one and one-half gallons of water having a hardness of 6 grams per U.S. gallon (Ca⁺⁺:Mg⁺⁺=3:1) at 95 °F. A wash load consisting of 4 fabric swatches 15 inches square of cotton terry cloth and 2 fabric swatches 11 inches square each of polyamide, polyester and cottonl polyester blend was washed for 12 minutes, rinsed in the same hardness water, and spun.
The foregoing treatments were repeated for Product II, the commercial fabric cleaning/conditioning product not of this invention. The washing treatment was repeated twice for TIDE. When one set of fabrics washed with TIDE were rinsed, 3.9 ml. of DOWNY were added to the tub.
The damp fabrics from each treatment were dried separately for 60 minutes in an electric machine dryer. Softness of the terry cloth swatches was graded by an expert panel, resulting in the following (data in panel score units, LSD (95%) = 0.5).
Fabrics treated with Product III, which contained amine salt nodules and clay, were virtually as soft as those treated separately with the single purpose products TIDE and DOWNY. These fabrics were distinctly softer than those treated with Product II which contained cationic softener agglomerates plus clay as taught by Baskerville et al cited hereinbefore. Fabrics treated with Product I, containing amine salt nodules as the sole softening agent, were substantially softer than those washed in regular detergent, but were not so soft as those washed in a comparable through-the-wash composition containing clay.

Example 3.

Detergent granules having composition B as identified in Table I above were prepared in the same manner as was used for composition A. A fabric cleaning/conditioning composition was prepared by dry blending 82.2 parts of detergent granules B with 8.7 parts of the amine salt nodules hereinbefore described in Example 1. This product is herein identified as Product IV of this invention. Another fabric cleaning/conditioning composition was prepared by dry blending 82.2 parts of detergent granules B with 15.6 parts of a fabric conditioning additive nodule comprising 2.3 parts ditallowdimethylammonium chloride, 8.1 parts sodium montmorillonite clay and 5.1 parts inert ingredients. This product is herein identified as Product V which is not, however, according to this invention but is a reference composition.
Products IV and V were tested for clay soil detergency using the following method. Soiled swatches of cotton, poly- ester/cotton blend, and polyester were prepared by staining in a controlled manner with clav padded on from a water slurry and dried. Miniwash tubs were filled with one U.S. gallon of water at 95 °C. and having, respectively, 2, 8 or 12 grains per U.S. gallon of baroness (Ca⁺⁺:Mg⁺⁺ =3:1), and approximately six grams of productg were aaded together with a speckle containing 0.03 grams of PEG 3000^h ana 0.09 grams inert ingreaients. Swatches were then washed in the test product and dried. Whiteness was determined using a Hunter Color Difference meter, using the equation W=(7L² - 40Lb)/700. Results were as follows, where each entry in the table is a whiteness value averaged over all 3 water hardnesses.
(g) Product usages were adjusted in the manner described in footnote (c) in relation to Product I.
(h) Polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight of 8000. On every fabric type, the swatches washed in Product IV were significantly whiter (95 % statistical level) than those washed in a corresponding manner in Product V.
Lipid soil removal was evaluated by washing swatches of 65 polyester/35 cotton blend which had been soiled by panelists rubbing over their faces, cheeks and necks in a controlled manner. The swatches were cut in half, and each half washed in the two products separately in the manner described above, except that speckles were not added. Grading was done by expert graders who compared the two halves of each original swatch against each other. Results were as follows where entries in the table are differences in panel score units between Product IV and Product V (positive values mean Product IV is cleaner). Each entry represents 10 panelists and 3 expert graders. The differences in 2 grain and 12 grain water are significant at the 95 % level.

Claims

1. A fabric conditioning agent characterised by a salt of

(i) a tertiary amine having the formula

wherein R₁, R₂ and R₃ are each, independently, saturated or unsaturated and wherein R₁ is a long chain aliphatic group having from 12 to 22 carbon atoms and R₂ and R₃ are the same or different from each other and are selected from aliphatic groups containing from 1 to 22 carbon atoms, hydroxyalkyl groups of the formula -R₄OH wherein R₄ is an alkylene group having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and alkyl ether groups having the formula R₅O(C_nH_2nO)_m- wherein R₅ is hydrogen or an alkyl or alkenyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, n is 2 or 3, and m is from 1 to 20; and

(ii) a carboxylic acid having the formula

wherein R₆ is hydrogen, or an alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl or aralkyl group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms, or a substituted alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl, or aralkyl group having from 1 to 22 carbon atoms wherein the substituents are selected from halogen, carboxyl, and hydroxyl ;

wherein said tertiary amine/carboxylic acid salt exists in the form of discrete nodules having a particle size from 0.05 to 2mm.

2. A fabric conditioning agent according to claim 1 wherein R₁is an aliphatic alkyl chain having from 12 to 22 carbon atoms, R₂ is an aliphatic alkyl chain having from 12 to 22 carbon atoms, and R₃ is an aliphatic alkyl chain having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms; wherein R₆ is a long chain, unsubstituted alkyl or alkenyl group having from 11 to 17 carbon atoms: and wherein the melting point of said discrete nodules is from 35 to 115°C.

3. A fabric conditioning agent according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the particle size of said nodules is from 0.1 to 1mm and wherein the melting point of said nodules is from 35 to 85°C.

4. A fabric conditioning agent according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein R_l and R₂ are each, independently, a saturated linear alkyl chain having from 16 to 18 carbon atoms; _R3is methyl; and _R6is a saturated linear alkyl chain having from 15 to 17 carbon atoms.

5. A fabric conditioning/stain removal composition characterised by:

(a) a fabric conditioning agent according to any of claims 1 to 4, and

(b) a stain removal agent selected from enzyme, peroxy bleach, halogen bleach, and porphine bleach.

6. A fabric conditioning/stain removal composition according to claim 5 wherein the enzyme is amylase, protease or lipase; the peroxygen bleach is an alkali metal salt of sodium perborate or sodium percarbonate or is diperoxyazelaic acid or diperoxydodecanedioic acid; the halogen bleach is sodium or potassium dichlorocyanurate or trichloro isocyanuric acid; and the porphine bleach is zinc or aluminium phthalocyanine sulfonate.

7. A fabric conditioning/stain removal composition according to claim 5 or 6 wherein when component (b) is enzyme, it is present at from 1 to 50% and the fabric conditioning agent is present at from 1% to 99%; when component (b) is peroxygen bleach, it is present at from 5% to 95% and the fabric conditioning agent is present at 1% to 95%; when component (b) is halogen bleach it is present at from 0.5 to 60% and the fabric conditioning agent is present at from 1% to 99.5%; and when component (b) is porphine bleach, it is present at from 0.005% to about 12% and the fabric conditioning agent is present at from 1% to 99.995% of the composition; wherein all percentages are by weight of the fabric conditioning/stain removal composition.

8. A fabric conditioning/stain removal composition according to claim 5 or 6 wherein the enzyme is protease or amylase; and wherein the amounts of the components, expressed in weight % based on the active ingredients of the fabric conditioning/stain removal composition, are: fabric conditioning agent from 5 to 99.995%; enzyme from 0 to 10%; peroxide bleach from 0 to 95%; halogen bleach from 0 to 10%; and porphine bleach from 0 to 1%.

9. A fabric cleaning/conditioning composition characterised by

(A) an anionic, nonionic, amphoteric or zwitterionic surfactant;

(B) a detergency builder; and

(C) a fabric conditioning agent according to any of claims 1 to 4,

wherein said surfactant and said detergency builder are present in the form of detergent granules.

10. A fabric_'cleaning/conditioning composition according to claim 9 wherein said surfactant is present in an amount from 1% to 50%, preferably from 5% to 30%, more preferably from 10% to 20% by weight of the composition; said detergency builder is present in an amount from 5% to 95%, preferably from 10% to 60%, more preferably from 15% to 40% by weight of the composition; and wherein said fabric conditioning agent is present in an amount from 1% to 30%, preferably from 3% to 20%, more preferably from 5% to 15% by weight of the composition.

11. A fabric cleaning/conditioning composition according to claim 9 or 10 wherein there is also present from 1% to 20%, preferably from 2% to 12% smectite clay.

12. A fabric cleaning/conditioning composition according to claim 11 wherein the smectite clay has a cation exchange capacity of at least 60 meq./100 gm. and is selected from the sodium and calcium montmorillonites; lithium, sodium and magnesium saponites; and lithium, sodium and magnesium hectorites.

13. A process for conditioning fabrics comprising the steps of:

(a) contacting the fabrics with an effective amount of a fabric conditioning agent according to any of claims 1 to 4; and

(b) subjecting the fabrics to a temperature within the range from 40°C. to 95°C.

14. A process according to claim 13 wherein the fabric conditioning agent is applied to tBe fabrics from an aqueous bath, for example a laundry wash or rinse liquor.

15. A process according to claim 13 wherein the fabrics are caused to tumble in relative motion to each other while being subjected to temperatures of 50-95°C.