US 4,474,678 AGranted

Alkanol ethoxylate-containing detergent compositions

AssigneeShell Oil Company

InventorsEugene F. Lutz, Donald L. Wood, Hans E. Kubitschek

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Abstract

Detergent compositions particularly useful in hard-surface cleaning comprise an alkanol ethoxylate component which consists essentially of a mixture of compounds of the formula R--O--CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O--.sub.x H, wherein R is an alkyl group of from 8 to 18 carbon atoms, said alkyl group having a linear carbon chain in at least about 50 percent of the ethoxylate molecules; wherein the --O--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --O--.sub.x H ether substituent is, in at least 40 percent of the molecules of the mixture, bound to R at a carbon atom which is neither a terminal carbon atom nor a carbon atom adjacent to a terminal carbon atom; and wherein x has an average value for all ethoxylate molecules of the mixture which is in the range from about 3 to 9; said ethoxylate component being further characterized as having a hydrophile-lipophile balance that is between about 10.4 and 12.0; and said composition being further characterized as containing less than about 2 percent by mole, calculated on moles of the mixture of ethoxylate compounds therein, of compounds having a C.sub.8 to C.sub.18 alkyl group substituted by multiple ether substituents.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An alkanol ethoxylate-containing detergent composition, wherein the alkanol ethoxylate component is a mixture of alkanol ethoxylate molecules prepared by an addition reaction between ethylene oxide and the corresponding alkanol,

(a) said mixture characterized as consisting essentially of compounds of the formula
R--O--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --O).sub.x H,
wherein R is an alkyl group having a carbon number in the range of from 8 to 18 inclusive, with the further provision that in at least about 50 percent of the ethoxylate molecules R is a linear alkyl group;
wherein the --O--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --O).sub.x H ether substituent is bound to R at a carbon atom which is neither a terminal carbon atom nor a carbon atom adjacent to a terminal carbon atom in at least about 40 percent of the ethoxylate molecules;
and wherein x has an average value for all molecules of the mixture which is in the range from about 3 to 9 with the further provision that x has a value in the range from 3 to 9 inclusive, in at least about 50 percent of the ethoxylate molecules,
(b) said mixture being further characterized as having a hydrophile-lipophile balance that is between about 10.4 and 12.0, said hydrophile-lipophile balance being calculated as 880 times the average value of x for the ethoxylate molecules of the mixture divided by the average molecular weight of the molecules of the mixture,
(c) said composition also being characterized as containing less than about 2 percent by mol, calculated on mols of the alkanol ethoxylate mixture therein, of compounds having a C.sub.8 to C.sub.18 alkyl group substituted by multiple ether substituents, and
(d) said composition being further characterized as containing the alkanol ethoxylate component in a concentration greater than about 0.06 percent by weight.

5 more elements

(a) said mixture characterized as consisting essentially of compounds of the formula
R--O--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --O).sub.x H,
wherein R is an alkyl group having a carbon number in the range of from 8 to 18 inclusive, in at least about 98 percent of the molecules of the mixture with the further provisions that in at least about 90 percent of the molecules of the mixture R has a carbon number in the range from 11 to 15, inclusive, and that in at least about 90 percent of the ethoxylate molecules R is a linear alkyl group;
wherein the --O--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --O).sub.x H ether substituent is bound to R at a carbon atom which is neither a terminal carbon atom nor a carbon atom adjacent to a terminal carbon atom in at least about 65 percent of the ethoxylate molecules;
and wherein x has an average value for all molecules of the mixture which is in the range from about 4.5 to 9, with the further provision that x has a value in the range from 4 to 9, inclusive, in at least about 50 percent of the ethoxylate molecules,
(b) said mixture being further characterized as having a hydrophile-lipophile balance that is between about 10.8 and 11.6 said hydrophile-lipophile balance being calculated as 880 times the average value of x for the ethoxylate molecules of the mixture divided by the average molecular weight of the molecules of the mixture,
(c) said composition also being characterized as containing less than about 2 percent by mol, calculated on mols of the alkanol ethoxylate mixture therein, of compounds having a C.sub.8 to C.sub.18 alkyl group substituted by multiple ether substituents, and
(d) said composition being further characterized as containing the alkanol ethoxylate component in a concentration greater than about 0.10 percent by weight.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.