# US 4,397,776 A · Liquid detergent compositions containing alpha-amine oxide surfactants

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- Number: US 4,397,776 A
- Document ID: US4397776A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/244,535
- Filed: 1981-03-17
- Granted: 1983-08-09
- Earliest claimed: 1981-03-17
- Assignees: The Procter & Gamble Company
- Inventors: James F. Ward
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4397776A

## CPC

- C11D 1/75: Amino oxides
- C11D 1/04: Carboxylic acids or salts thereof (soap C11D9/00)
- C11D: DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL

## Abstract

Liquid detergent compositions containing alpha-amine oxide surfactants and having a pH of from about 9.0 to about 13.0 are disclosed. The alpha-amine oxides have improved stability against metal-catalyzed decomposition in the present compositions. The compositions preferably contain heavy-metal chelating agents, and also other surfactants and detergent adjunct materials.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A liquid detergent composition having a pH of from about 9.0 to about 13.0, comprising:
(a) from about 0.005% to about 40% by weight of an amine oxide surfactant of the formula ##STR2## wherein R.sup.1 is hydrogen or a C.sub.1 -C.sub.20 hydrocarbyl group; each R.sup.2 is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.20 hydrocarbyl group or a C.sub.2 -C.sub.3 alkylene oxide group containing from 1 to about 10 alkylene oxide units; and X is hydrogen or a water-soluble metal, ammonium or substituted ammonium cation; provided that the total number of carbon atoms in hydrocarbyl groups at the R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 substituents is from about 8 to about 36; and
(b) from about 0.001% to about 35% by weight of a heavy-metal chelating agent selected from the group consisting of alkali-metal, ammonium and substituted ammonium polycarboxylates, aminopolycarboxylates, polyphosphonates, aminopolyphosphonates, and polyphosphates, and mixtures thereof.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A composition according to claim 1 comprising from about 0.01% to about 25% by weight of the chelating agent.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A composition according to claim 2 comprising from about 0.1% to about 15% by weight of the chelating agent.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A composition according to claim 1 wherein the chelating agent is the sodium or potassium salt of nitrilotriacetic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid or N(hydroxyethyl) ethylenediaminetriacetic acid, or mixtures thereof.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

A composition according to claim 4, wherein the chelating agent is the sodium or potassium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid or N(hydroxyethyl) ethylenediametriacetic acid, or mixtures thereof.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A composition according to claim 1 comprising from about 0.1% to about 1% by weight of the chelating agent.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A composition according to claim 1 comprising from about 3% to about 20% by weight of sodium or potassium nitrilotriacetate, sodium or potassium citrate, or potassium pyrophosphate, or mixtures thereof.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

A composition according to claim 7 further comprising from about 0.1% to about 1% by weight of the sodium or potassium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid or N(hydroxyethyl) ethylenediametriacetic acid, or mixtures thereof.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1, 5)

A composition according to claims 1 or 5 having a pH of from about 10.0 to about 12.0.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

A composition according to claim 9 wherein R.sup.1 is a C.sub.10 -C.sub.16 alkyl group, each R.sup.2 is a methyl, ethyl, 2-hydroxyethyl or 2-hydroxypropyl group, and X is sodium.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A composition according to claim 1 further comprising from about 0.005% to about 40% by weight of an anionic, cationic, nonionic, ampholytic, or zwitterionic cosurfactant, or mixtures thereof.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

A composition according to claim 11 comprising from about 5% to about 20% by weight of the cosurfactant.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

A composition according to claim 11 wherein the cosurfactant is an ethoxylated alcohol or alkyl phenol of the formula R(OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.n OH, wherein R is a C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 hydrocarbyl group or a C.sub.8 -C.sub.15 alkyl phenol group and n is from about 3 to about 12.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

A composition according to claim 13 wherein R is a C.sub.9 -C.sub.15 alkyl group and n is from about 4 to about 8.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

A composition according to claim 14 wherein R.sup.1 is a C.sub.10 -C.sub.16 alkyl group, each R.sup.2 is a methyl, ethyl, 2-hydroxyethyl or 2-hydroxypropyl group, and X is sodium.