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US 5,035,826 AGranted
Liquid crystal detergent composition
AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorsPatrick J. Durbut, Myriam M. Mondin, Guy J. Broze
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AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorsPatrick J. Durbut, Myriam M. Mondin, Guy J. Broze
Estimating the term…
A liquid detergent composition which is in liquid crystal form comprises a synthetic organic surface active agent, as the detergent component, which preferably includes one or more nonionic detergents of the ethoxylated higher fatty alcohol type, and a lesser proportion of anionic or cationic surfactant, such as sodium dialkyl sulfosuccinate or dicoco dimethyl ammonium chloride, a cosurfactant, such as tripropylene glycol butyl ether, a solvent for the soil, such as an isoparaffin of 9 to 11 carbon atoms or methyl cocoate (ester of methyl alcohol and coco acids) and water, with the water usually being the major component. Such compositions are useful for cold or room temperature cleaning of lipophilic soils, such as animal fats, from hard surfaces and from fabrics, and may be used as pre-treatments to loosen such soils from substrates to facilitate easier cleaning of dishes and laundry with conventional or the invented detergent compositions. The invention also relates to concentrated versions of the compositions, which are not in liquid crystal state but which upon dilution with water are converted to such state. Also within the invention are processes for pre-treating and cleaning materials soiled with lipophilic soils, using the invented liquid crystal detergent compositions. Additional processes of the invention are those in which liquid crystal detergent compositions are made by diluting concentrated compositions with water, and those in which lipophilic materials convert liquid crystal detergent compositions to microemulsion form, which latter processes occur during pre-spotting and cleaning applications when the liquid crystal detergent composition contacts the oily soil on surfaces being treated.
A liquid detergent composition which is suitable for room temperature pre-treating and cleaning of materials soiled with lipophilic soil, and which is in liquid crystal form or is capable of being diluted with water and thereby being converted to liquid crystal form, which comprises about 5 to 40% of surface active agent, which is a mixture of nonionic and anionic detergents wherein the anionic detergent is a C.sub.4-12 alcohol ester of a sulfosuccinic acid salt, about 0.5 to 20% of a consurfactant which is a lower alkylene glycol lower alkyl ether, with the proviso that the amount of cosurfactant is about 10 to 50% of the sum of the amounts of surfactant and cosurfactant, the sum of the surfactant and cosurfactant amounts is about 5 to 60% of the liquid detergent composition and the amount of the alcohol ester of sulfosuccinic acid salt is in the range of about 2 to 25% of the amount of nonionic detergent present, about 1 to 20% of lipophilic solvent selected from a group consisting of a hydrocarbon, an ester of a higher alcohol and a lower carboxylic acid, an ester of a lower alcohol and a higher carboxylic acid, or mixture thereof, and about 40 to 90% of water, which liquid detergent composition is free of non-enzymatic materials of molecular weight greater than 5,000, is in liquid crystal form, is sprayable by a hand operated pump sprayer, the sprayed composition is adherent to vertical surfaces and spontaneously forms a microemulsion when it is brought into contact with lipophilic soil, which microemulsion is of a lower viscosity than the liquid crystal detergent composition.
A liquid detergent composition, which is suitable for room temperature pre-treating and cleaning of materials soiled with lipophilic soil, and which is in liquid crystal form or is capable of being diluted with water and thereby being converted to liquid form, which comprises about 6 to 35% of a nonionic detergent which is a condensation product of a mole of higher fatty alcohol of an average of 9 to 11 carbon atoms with 2 to 6 moles of ethylene oxide, about 0.3 to 5% of a C.sub.6-10 alcohol diester of a sulfosuccinic acid salt wherein the alcohol is saturated and branched, about 4 to 12% of a cosurfactant which is a mono-, di- or tri-propylene glycol lower alkyl ether wherein the lower alkyl is of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, with the proviso that the cosurfactant content is about 25 to 45% of the sum of the amounts of nonionic detergent, anionic detergent and cosurfactant, and that such sum is about 10 to 45% of the liquid detergent composition, about 2 to 10% of a paraffin which averages 9 to 11 carbon atoms, and about 50 to 85% of water, which liquid detergent composition is free of non-enzymatic materials of molecular weight greater than 5,000, is in liquid crystal form, is sprayable by a hand operated pump sprayer, the sprayed composition is adherent to vertical surfaces and spontaneously forms a microemulsion when it is brought into contact with lipophilic soil, which microemulsion is of a lower viscosity than the liquid crystal detergent composition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.