Branched trialkyl quaternary ammonium compounds

Abstract

The invention provides branched hydrophobes for the production of surfactants with improved properties over linear hydrophobes. The invention also provides branched C10-12 enals and aldehydes. The invention additionally provides branched C10-12 enals and aldehydes that are oxidized to branched fatty acids or hydrogenated to branched fatty alcohols and further derivatized to surfactants, through ethoxylation or esterification and other or subsequent reactions. The enals and aldehydes are useful in making branched trialkylamine intermediates useful in making certain surfactants, including amphoteric, cationic and nonionic surfactants. The surfactants which can be produced from the trialkylamine intermediates include the quaternary ammonium compounds of the invention. The quaternary ammonium compounds of the invention are also useful in making the branched enals and/or aldehydes useful in the invention.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.