Broad spectrum antibacterial compositions containing tris (hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane and diphenyl and loweralkyl substituted diphenyl polyamines

An antibacterial composition comprising an admixture of 1 to 500 parts by weight of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane for each part by weight of a polyamine having the formula:

• ##STR11## where R is hydrogen or loweralkyl;
• each R.sub.1 is alike or different and is C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkylene;
• Z is ##STR12## where Y is ##STR13## or Y is --R.sub.2 -- and R.sub.2 is 2-hydroxy-1,3-trimethylene, or R.sub.1 as previously defined;
• R.sub.3 is hydrogen, C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkyl, C.sub.2 to C.sub.4 aminoalkyl, C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 hydroxyalkyl, or C.sub.2 to C.sub.4 dihydroxyalkyl;
• R.sub.4 is 2-hydroxy-1,3-trimethylene, or R.sub.1 as previously defined;
• R.sub.5 is hydrogen, aminoethyl, aminopropyl, C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 hydroxyalkyl, or C.sub.2 to C.sub.4 dihydroxyalkyl;
• and
• R.sub.6 is hydrogen, C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 hydroxyalkyl or C.sub.2 to C.sub.4 dihydroxyalkyl;
• or when R.sub.3 and R.sub.6 taken together are ethylene, R.sub.4 is also ethylene, and R.sub.5 is aminoethyl, aminopropyl, or aminohydroxypropyl or acid addition salts thereof.