Surfactant base for soapless lubricants

A soapless lubricant composition consisting essentially of:

• A) at least one amphoteric compound of the formula ##STR2## wherein R is a saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated, linear or branched alkyl group containing 6 to 22 carbon atoms, which may optionally be substituted by --OH, --NH.sub.2, --NH--, --CO--, --(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.1 -- or --(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.1 --, where 1 is a number of 0 to 5,
• R.sup.1 is hydrogen, an alkyl group containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkyl group containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a group--R.sup.3 COOM, where R.sup.3 and M have the meanings given below,
• R.sup.2 is hydrogen, an alkyl group containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a hydroxyalkyl group containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, wherein the R.sup.2 group is only present where M is a negative charge,
• R.sup.3 is a saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated, linear or branched alkyl group containing 1 to 12 carbon atoms, which may optionally be substituted by --OH, --NH.sub.2, --NH--, --CO--, --(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.1 -- or --(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.1, where 1 has the meaning given above,
• n is an integer of 1 to 12,
• m is an integer of 0 to 5, and
• M is hydrogen, an alkali metal, ammonium, an alkyl group containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a benzyl group, or a negative charge;
• and/or
• B) at least one amine of the formulae:
• R.sup.4 --NH--R.sup.5 (IIa)
• R.sup.4 --N.sup.+ H.sub.2 --R.sup.5 X.sup.- (IIb)
• R.sup.4 --NH--(CH.sub.2).sub.3 NH.sub.2 (IIIa)
• R.sup.4 --NH--(CH.sub.2).sub.3 N.sup.+ H.sub.3 X.sup.- (IIIb)
• R.sup.4 --N.sup.+ H.sub.2 --(CH.sub.2).sub.3 --N.sup.+ H.sub.3 2X.sup.-(IIIc)
• R.sup.4 --NR.sup.7 R.sup.8 (IVa)
• R.sup.4 --N.sup.+ HR.sup.7 R.sup.8 X.sup.- (IVb)
• wherein
• R.sup.4 is a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched, saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated alkyl group containing 6 to 22 carbon atoms, which may contain at least one amine, imine, hydroxy, halogen and/or carboxy group as a substituent, a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group which may contain at least one amine, imine, hydroxy, halogen, carboxy group and/or a linear or branched saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated alkyl group containing 6 to 22 carbon atoms as a substituent,
• R.sup.5 is hydrogen or, independently of R.sup.4, has the same meaning as R.sup.4,
• X.sup.- is an anion from the group consisting of amidosulfonate, nitrate, halide, sulfate, hydrogen carbonate, carbonate, phosphate or R.sup.6 --COO.sup.-, where R.sup.6 is hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched alkyl group containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms or alkenyl group containing 2 to 20 carbon atoms which may contain a hydroxy, amine or imine group as a substituent, or a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group which may contain an alkyl group with 1 to 20 carbon atoms as a substituent, and
• R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 independently of one another represent a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched alkyl group containing 1 to 20 carbon atoms or alkenyl group containing 2 to 20 carbon atoms, which may contain at least one hydroxy, amine or imine group as substituent, or a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group which may contain an alkyl group with 1 to 20 carbon atoms as a substituent;
• and
• C) at least one nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of an alkyl dimethylamine oxide and an alkyl oligoglycoside wherein the quantity of component A) plus component B) is present therein in from about 1 to about 99% by weight, and the quantity of component C) is present therein in from about 1 to about 10% by weight, the above quantities being based on the weight of the lubricant.