# US 4,399,050 A · Bleach composition > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 4,399,050 A - Document ID: US4399050A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 06/262,887 - Filed: 1981-05-13 - Granted: 1983-08-16 - Earliest claimed: 1980-05-13 - Assignees: Sandoz Products Limited - Inventors: John Bentham; Jacqueline A. Coates; David L. Connell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4399050A ## CPC - C11D 1/06: Ether- or thioether carboxylic acids - C11D 3/3956: {Liquid compositions} - C11D: DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL ## Abstract A thickened aqueous bleach composition comprising (a) an alkali metal hypochlorite and (b) one or more carboxylated surfactants of formula I RO-- CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O ].sub.n R.sub.1 --COO.crclbar.A.sym.I in which R is a straight chain C.sub.6-20 alkyl, phenyl, a straight or branched chain C.sub.7-30 alkaryl or a straight or branched chain C.sub.7-30 aralkyl, unsubstituted or substituted with substituents unreactive to hypochlorite, R.sub.1 is C.sub.1-4 alkylene, A.sym. is hydrogen ion, an alkali metal cation, or an equivalently charged amount of an alkaline earth metal cation and n is 0.5 to 45. Additionally free ethoxylate can be present in the mixture together with further bleach additives including perfumes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A stable thickened aqueous bleach composition comprising (a) an alkali metal hypochlorite, in an amount sufficient to provide 1 to 14% by weight of available chlorine, (b) one or more carboxylated surfactants of formula I RO--CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O].sub.n R.sub.1 --COO.sup..crclbar. A.sup..sym.I in which R is a straight chain C.sub.6-20 alkyl, phenyl, a straight or branched chain C.sub.7-30 alkaryl or a straight or branched chain C.sub.7-30 aralkyl, unsubstituted or substituted with substituents unreactive to hypochlorite, R.sub.1 is C.sub.1-4 alkylene, A.sup..sym. is hydrogen ion, an alkali metal cation, or an equivalently charged amount of an alkaline earth metal cation and n is 0.5 to 45, in a total amount of 1.4 to 3.1% by weight of the composition and (c) from 4 to 25% of sodium chloride by weight of the total bleach composition, with the proviso that n is a number such that the molar percentage (E) of ethylene oxide in the group RO--CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O].sub.n, or the average E in the case of a mixture of surfactants of formula I, is from 20% to 80%, and the value of n is given by the formula ##EQU2## where M is the molecular weight of the group RO--. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A bleach composition according to claim 1, in which E or the average E is 40 to 60%. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A bleach composition according to claim 1 in which component (b) contains 10 to 40% of its weight of an ethoxylate of the formula II RO--CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O].sub.n H II ps in which R and n are defined in claim 1. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A bleach composition according to claim 1 in which the carboxylated surfactant of formula I is of the formula I' R'--O--(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n' CH.sub.2 COO.sup..crclbar. Na.sup..sym.I' in which R' is a mixture of predominantly straight chain C.sub.12 and C.sub.13 alkyl groups and n' is in the range 3 to 5. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A bleach composition according to claim 1 in which the carboxylated surfactant of formula I is of formula I" R"--O--(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n.sbsb.a CH.sub.2 COO.sup..crclbar. Na.sup..sym. I" where R" is p-nonyl phenyl and n.sub.a is in the range 4 to 7. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A bleach composition according to claim 1 including up to 10% added, water soluble, alkali-stable electrolyte. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A composition according to claim 1 which contains 7 to 25% sodium chloride. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A composition according to claim 1 wherein, in formula I, R is either a straight chain alkyl group of 10 to 14 carbon atoms containing 0 to 3 substitutents selected from halogen, aryl, alkoxy and aryloxy, or a phenyl group monosubstituted by a C.sub.4-9 alkyl group. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) A composition of claim 2 having a viscosity of at least 10 centipoise. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) A composition of claim 3 in which from 10 to 20% by weight of ethoxylate of formula II is present, based on the weight of component (b) present. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) A composition according to claim 7 having a viscosity of 30 to 100 centipoise. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A composition according to claim 11 wherein, in formula I, R is either a straight chain alkyl group of 10 to 14 carbon atoms containing 0 to 3 substituents selected from halogen, aryl, alkoxy and aryloxy, or a phenyl group monosubstituted by a C.sub.4-9 alkyl group. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) A composition of claim 9 having a viscosity of 30 to 100 centipoise. ### Claim 14 A stable thickened aqueous bleach composition comprising (a) an alkali metal hypochlorite, in an amount sufficient to provide 1 to 14% by weight of available chlorine (b) one or more carboxylated surfactants of formula I RO--CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O].sub.n R.sub.1 --COO.sup..crclbar. A.sup..sym.I in which R is a straight chain C.sub.6-20 alkyl, phenyl, a straight or branched chain C.sub.7-30 alkaryl or a straight or branched chain C.sub.7-30 aralkyl, unsubstituted or substituted with substituents unreactive to hypochlorite, R.sub.1 is C.sub.1-4 alkylene, A.sup.+ is hydrogen ion, an alkali metal cation, or an equivalently charged amount of an alkaline earth metal cation and n is 0.5 to 45, in a total amount of 1.4 to 3.1% by weight of the composition, and (c) from 4 to 25% of sodium chloride by weight of the total bleach composition, with the proviso that n is a number such that the hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) is herein defined or the molar average HLB in the case of a mixture of surfactants of formula I is in the range of 10 to 20. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A bleach composition according to claim 14 in which the HLB or average HLB is in the range 13 to 18. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) A composition of claim 14 having a viscosity of 30 to 100 centipoise. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) A composition according to claim 14 which contains 7 to 25% sodium chloride. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) A composition according to claim 14 wherein, in formula I, R is either a straight chain alkyl group of 10 to 14 carbon atoms containing 0 to 3 substituents selected from halogen, aryl, alkoxy and aryloxy, or a phenyl group monosubstituted by a C.sub.4-9 alkyl group. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) A composition according to claim 17 having a viscosity of 30 to 100 centipoise. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A composition according to claim 19 wherein, in formula I, R is either a straight chain alkyl group of 10 to 14 carbon atoms containing 0 to 3 substituents selected from halogen, aryl, alkoxy and aryloxy, or a phenyl group monosubstituted by a C.sub.4-9 alkyl group. ### Claim 21 A stable thickened aqueous bleach composition comprising (a) an alkali metal hypochlorite, in an amount sufficient to provide 1 to 14% by weight of available chlorine. (b) one or more carboxylated surfactants of formula I RO--CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O].sub.n R.sub.1 --COO.sup..crclbar. A.sup..sym.I in which R is a straight chain C.sub.6-20 alkyl, phenyl, a straight or branched chain C.sub.7-30 alkaryl or a straight or branched chain C.sub.7-30 aralkyl, unsubstituted or substituted with substituents unreactive to hypochlorite, R.sub.1 is C.sub.1-4 alkylene, A.sup..sym. is hydrogen ion, an alkali metal cation, or an equivalently charged amount of an alkaline earth metal cation and n is 0.5 to 45, and (c) from 7 to 25% of sodium chloride by weight of the total bleach composition, with the proviso that n is a number such that the molar percentage (E) of ethylene oxide in the group RO--CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O)].sub.n, or the average E in the case of a mixture of surfactants of formula I, is from 20% to 80%, and the value of n is given by the formula ##EQU3## where M is the molecular weight of the group RO--. ### Claim 22 A stable thickened aqueous bleach composition comprising (a) an alkali metal hypochlorite, in an amount sufficient to provide 1 to 14% by weight of available chlorine, (b) one or more carboxylated surfactants of formula I RO--CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O].sub.n R.sub.1 --COO.sup..crclbar. A.sup..sym.I in which R is a straight chain C.sub.6-20 alkyl, phenyl, a straight or branched chain C.sub.7-30 alkaryl or a straight or branched chain C.sub.7-30 aralkyl, unsubstituted or substituted with substituents unreactive to hypochlorite, R.sub.1 is C.sub.1-4 alkylene, A.sup.+ is hydrogen ion, an alkali metal cation, or an equivalently charged amount of an alkaline earth metal cation and n is 0.5 to 45, and (c) from 7 to 25% of sodium chloride by weight of the total bleach composition, with the proviso that n is a number such that the hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) as herein defined or the molar average HLB in the case of a mixture of surfactants of formula I is in the range of 10 to 20.