Concentrated liquid fabric softener composition
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorsPierre C. E. Goffinet, Brian A. Brown
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Concentrated liquid fabric softeners containing a fabric substantive agent, inclusive of polyamines and alkylpyridinium salts, in conjunction with a fabric softening component, inclusive of quaternary ammonium salts; alkylimidazolinium salts; fatty esters; fatty ethers; and fatty compounds containing a sulfur or nitrogen linking atom, are disclosed. The subject concentrated softener compositions are easily dispersible in aqueous medium and thus can evenly deposit onto fibers to thereby provide textile handling benefits inclusive of softening, static control, ease-of-ironing, fluffiness, pliability and smoothness.
Claims15
A concentrated liquid fabric softener having improved pourability and water-dispersability characteristics comprising from about 25% to about 55% by weight of an active system comprised of a fabric-substantive agent and a fabric-softening component, the fabric-substantive agent being selected from the group of:
- (1) a compound having the formula ##STR11## wherein R is selected from an alkyl or alkenyl group having from 10 to 24 carbon atoms in the alk(en)yl chain, and R--O--(CH.sub.2).sub.n1 --;
- the R.sub.1 's which may be the same or different each represent hydrogen, -(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.p H, -(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q H, -(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.p, (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q, H, a C.sub.1-3 alkyl group or the group--(CH.sub.2).sub.n2 --N(R').sub.2, wherein R' is selected from hydrogen,--(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.p H,--(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q H,--(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.p, (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.q, H and a C.sub.1-3 alkyl group, where n, n.sub.1 and n.sub.2 each represent an integer from 2 to 6, m is an integer from 1 to 5, each p, q and (p'+q') may be 0 or a number such that (p+q+p'+q') does not exceed 25, and, if in the salt or partial salt form, A.sup.(-) represents one or more anions having total charge balancing that of the nitrogen atom(s);
- (2) an alkylpyridinium salt wherein the alkyl chain has from about 10 to 24 carbon atoms;
- and
- (3) mixtures thereof;
- with the proviso that the fabric-substantive agent has a water-solubility of more than about 5% by weight at pH 2.5 and 20.degree. C., the fabric-softening component being selected from the group of:
- (a) a quaternary ammonium salt having the formula ##STR12## wherein R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 represent hydrocarbyl groups having from 12 to 24 carbon atoms, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 represent hydrocarbyl groups having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and X is an anion;
- (b) an alkylimidazolinium salt having the formula ##STR13## wherein R.sub.6 is a C.sub.1-4 alkyl group, R.sub.9 is hydrogen or a C.sub.1-4 alkyl group, R.sub.8 is a C.sub.8-25 alkyl group;
- and R.sub.7 is a C.sub.9-25 alkyl group;
- and A.sup.- is an anion;
- (c) a fatty ester of mono- or polyhydric alcohols having from 1 to about 24 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain, and mono- or polycarboxylic acids having from 1 to about 24 carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain with the provisos that the total number of carbon atoms in the ester is equal to or greater than 16 and that at least one of the hydrocarbon radicals in the ester has 12 or more carbon atoms;
- (d) ethers of fatty alcohols having from 10 to 24 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain and mono- or polyalcohols having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, whereby the total number of carbon atoms in the ether is equal to or greater than 16;
- (e) compounds of the formula R.sub.10 --X--R.sub.11 wherein R.sub.10 has from about 12 to 24 carbon atoms and R.sub.11 from 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain which can be interrupted by not more than one oxygen link, and X stands for sulfur, ##STR14## and (f) mixtures thereof, whereby the weight of the fabric-substantive agent to the fabric-softening component is in the range from about 6:1 to about 1:4;
- and a liquid carrier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.