Ester oligomers suitable as soil release agents in detergent compositions
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorsEugene Paul Gosselink, James Albert Cleary, Robert Henry Rohrbaugh, Margaret Robinson Tallmadge, Shulin Zhang
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Abstract
Soil release agents which comprise: an ester backbone comprising (1) units selected from dihydroxy or polyhydroxy sulfonate (e.g., a sulfoethyl ether of glycerin), a unit which is at least trifunctional whereby ester linkages are formed resulting in a branched oligomer backbone (e.g., glycerol), or mixtures thereof, (2) terephthaloyl unit, and (3) oxyalkyleneoxy unit; and one or more capping units (preferably anionic).
Claims30
Oligomeric esters which are effective as soil release agents comprising:
- (1) a backbone comprising
- (a) at least one unit selected from the group consisting of dihydroxy or polyhydroxy sulfonate, a unit which is at least trifunctional whereby ester linkages are formed resulting in a branched oligomer backbone, and combinations thereof;
- (b) at least one unit which is a terephthaloyl moiety;
- and
- (c) at least one unsulfonated unit which is a 1,2-oxyalkleneoxy moiety;
- and
- (2) one or more capping units selected from nonionic capping units, anionic capping units, and mixtures thereof.
Oligomeric esters which are effective as soil release agents comprising from about 25% to about 100% by weight of ester having the empirical formula (CAP).sub.x (EG/PG).sub.y' (DEG).sub.y" (PEG).sub.y'" (T).sub.z (SI).sub.z' (SEG).sub.q (B).sub.m ;
- wherein:
- i):
- (CAP) represents capping units;
- ii):
- (EG/PG) represents oxyethyleneoxy and oxy-1,2-propyleneoxy units;
- iii):
- (DEG) represents optional di(oxyethylene)oxy units;
- iv):
- (PEG) represents optional poly(oxyethylene)oxy units;
- v) (T) represents terephthaloyl units;
- vi):
- (SI) represents optional sulfoisophthaloyl units;
- vii):
- (SEG) represents units derived from the sulfoethyl ether of glycerin and related moiety units;
- and
- vii):
- (B) represents branching units which are at least trifunctional whereby ester linkages are formed resulting in a branched oligomer backbone;
- and wherein x is from about 1 to about 12;
- y' is from about 0.5 to about 25;
- y" is from 0 to about 12;
- y'" is from 0 to about 10;
- y'+y"+y'" totals from about 0.5 to about 25;
- z is from about 1.5 to about 25;
- z' is from about 0 to about 12;
- z+z' totals from about 1.5 to about 25;
- q is from about 0.05 to about 12;
- m is from about 0.01 to about 10;
- and wherein x, y', y", y'", z, z', q and m represent the average number of moles of the corresponding units per mole of said ester and said ester has a molecular weight ranging from about 500 to about 5,000.
Oligomeric esters effective as soil release agents derived by a process which comprises at least one step of reacting:
- 1) dimethyl terephthalate:
- 2) optionally, dimethyl 5-sulfoisophthalate;
- 3) one or more glycol reactants selected from the group consisting of:
- a) ethylene glycol;
- b) propylene glycol;
- and
- c) a mixture of a) and b);
- 4) sulfoethyl ether of glycerin;
- and
- 5) optionally, glycerol.
A method for manufacturing sulfoethyl ether of glycerin, said method comprising the step of reacting glycerin with isethionate in the presence of at least 12 mole % of hydroxide base.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.