Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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USE OF DETERGENTS COMPRISING ETHYL-3-(N-BUTYLACETAMINO)PROPIONATE
AS INSECT REPELLANT AGENT
The invention relates to all types of cleaning
compositions which comprise the insect repellent ethyl
3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate and are therefore used
for cleaning and for simultaneously repelling insects
from the surfaces and rooms to be cleaned.
In many respects, insects are a nuisance or
even a threat to humans. In addition to the damage
.caused by some species of insects (for example the
destruction of entire harvests), both humans and also
many animals are troubled in one way or another, bitten
and otherwise plagued by a wide range of. insects . This
can lead to infections and the transmission of
dangerous diseases.
Insecticides are the main weapon in the fight
against insects, but their use and toxicity profiles
are not always without problems. These toxins often
have undesirable effects on humans and animals, so that
their use is limited or even banned.
However, measures such as the use of
insecticides are not absolutely necessary to prevent
the immediate nuisance. Some insects, such as, for
example, cockroaches, in any case cannot be eradicated
completely, and efforts are therefore increasingly
directed more at repelling these insects than at
destroying them.
Furthermore, protection ,of the environment is
nowadays very much in the foreground, and preventive
measures are therefore preferably taken.
Insect repellents are therefore now preferred
to insecticides in combating insects, since the former
are directed merely towards stopping insects from
remaining and nesting on certain surfaces or in rooms.
Chemicals for repelling or destroying, for
example, cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes or ants have
been on the market for a long time, but many are
dangerous to humans and animals or have a very
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unpleasant smell, so their adverse properties severely
limit their use.
In view of the relatively small number of
insect repellents which are not only effective but also
acceptable from the toxicological aspect, great efforts
to provide suitable products continue to be made in
this field.
The object of the present invention was there
fore to provide an insect repellent which effectively
keeps away all types of insects, is easy to use and is
toxicologically acceptable to humans and pets.
The substance ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)-
prapionate is a proven insect repellent which has been
known for a long time and is also employed as such in
cosmetics formulations. It can be obtained
commercially, for example from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt.
This substance, with its outstanding properties
in respect of skin and mucosa tolerance without toxic,
allergizing or sensitizing properties, has hitherto
been used in cosmetics formulations in order to protect
humans directly from attack by, for example, mosquitoes
or flies .
This substance furthermore has a high chemical
stability, i.e. it cannot be hydrolysed, cannot be
photooxidized, cannot be oxidized and has a high heat
stability.
Surprisingly, it has now been found that ethyl
3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate can also be incorporated
into formulations of cleaning compositions of all
types, and can therefore be used to drive off and keep
away insects permanently from the surfaces cleaned with
them, which can be hard or soft in nature.
It is known from the literature
(US-A-3,018,217), for example, to incorporate an insect
repellent into a polishing composition for domestic
floors, dibutyl succinate having been employed as the
repellent. EP 0 525 893 also describes compositions for
cleaning comprising various insect repellents, such as,
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for example, N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET). However,
nowhere are cleaning compositions which comprise the
abovementioned ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate
described.
In contrast to the prior art, theinvention
employs an insect repellent which has hitherto been
used directly on humans, and the cleaning compositions
according to the invention can thus be regarded as
toxicologically acceptable and are therefore highly
superior to the compositions known to date.
The term "insect" is used here in the broadest
sense and is intended to include, for example, common
cockroaches (German cockroaches .=and ,also .American
roaches), fleas, flies, mosquitoes, ants, lice, ticks,
bugs and even spiders.
The invention thus relates to a cleaning
composition which is characterized in that it comprises
an active amount, which is sufficient to repel insects
after treatment with this cleaning composition, of the
insect repellent ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate.
The invention furthermore relates to the use of
the insect repellent ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)-
propionate in cleaning compositions for repelling
insects.
The invention furthermore relates to a process
for cleaning and simultaneously repelling insects,
which is characterized in that a .cheaning composition
comprising an active amount, which is sufficient to
repel insects, of the insect repellent ethyl
3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate is used on the surfaces
to be cleaned,
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3a
According to one aspect of the present invention,
there is provided use of a cleaning composition which
comprises an effective amount of ethyl 3-(N-
butylacetamino)propionate as an insect repellent for
repelling insects selected from cockroaches and ants.
According to another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided use of ethyl 3-(N-
butylacetamino)propionate for repelling one or both of
cockroaches and ants.
According to yet another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a method of repelling one or
both of cockroaches and ants on objects, surfaces or in
rooms, wherein a composition which comprises an effective
amount of ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate as an insect
repellent is used for cleaning the object, the surface or in
the room.
The cleaning compositions according to the
invention preferably comprise 0.1 to 20% by weight of
ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate, particularly
preferably 0.1 to 10% by weight, especially preferably 0.1
to 6a by weight.
The insect repellant of the present invention can
be incorporated into all types of cleaning
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compositions, preferably into domestic cleaners. If
appropriate, these domestic cleaners can additionally
comprise, as well as the ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)-
propionate according to 'the invention, one or more
insect repellents in each case in an amount of 0.1 to
20% by weight. These can be both synthetic substances,
such as, for example, diethyltoluamide, 2-ethyl-
1,3-hexanediol, dimethyl phthalate or dibutyl
succinate, and also essential oils which are naturally
occurring or identical to those in nature and act as
insect repellents, such as, for example, menthol oil,
citronella oil or lemon oil.
The insect repellent is preferably incorporated
into solutions (aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic) or
dispersions (or dispersed in a pulverulent carrier),
into cleaning agent compositions such as detergents,
floor or ~ wall cleaners (tile cleaners), window
cleaners, upholstery or carpet cleaners, also in
shampoo form, into solid or liquid soaps, into wax,
into creams or into sprays.
It can be incorporated into any other suitable
formulation in which it could be of benefit, for
example into insecticides or antibacterial'
compositions, furniture polishes or, floor waxes or
else into compositions for cleaning certain hand tools
which are used, for example, for animal husbandry or in
horticulture.
The use of the cleaning compositions according
to the invention causes insects to avoid contact with
the cleaned surface after the hard or soft surfaces
have been cleaned, since a film of this cleaning
composition comprising the insect repellent has been
formed as a result of the cleaning process.
The insects are additionally kept away from the
area of the cleaned surface by the smell of this
composition.
Thus, for example, ants, common cockroaches and
other insects can be stopped from penetrating into
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storage rooms by cleaning shelves, walls and the floor
with a cleaning composition according to the invention.
Cleaning upholstery or carpets with suitable
shampoos can also stop the insects from nesting there
and laying their eggs therein_
Detergents can furthermore prevent insects from
entering linen cupboards and therefore into clothes.
From the above description, it is obvious that
a wide range of compositions are possible for the
cleaning agent according to the invention, and the
cleaning compositions can be used for many different
purposes.
However, the invention is preferably used in
the field of domestic cleaners.
Such cleaners are composed of a large number of
components.
For example, they comprise organic (soaps) or
preferably synthetically organic surface-active, wash-
active substances (surfactants), which can be anionic,
amphoteric, ampholytic, zwitterionic, nonionic or
cationic in nature, or else a mixture thereof. The
anionic detergent bases are by far the most important
here. Many such detergents are described in "Surface
Active Agents and Detergent", Volume II, by Schwartz,
Perry and Berch (1958 Interscience Publishers, Inc.).
However, the expert can also read about the most common
surfactants in all the major reference works of
chemistry (for example Rompp, Beilstein and the like).
The cleaners furthermore comprise builders and,
if appropriate, bleaching agents, fragrances and
auxiliaries.
Any detergent suitable for this purpose can be
used as an anionic surfactant. Anion-based surfactants
usually include, for example, fatty alcohol sulfates,
paraffinsulfonates, fatty acid condensation products
and alkylbenzenesulfonates and -phosphonates, and also
alkyl sulfates and phosphates.. The anionic surfactants
are preferably sodium salts, but potassium, ammonium
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and triethanolammonium salts are also often employed in
some liquid compositions. The alkyl radicals are
preferably straight-chain and preferably have 12 to 16
carbon atoms.
Synergistic combinations, primarily with fatty
alcohol polyglycol ethers, have proved suitable as the
base for many compositions.
Suitable nonionic raw materials are conden
sation products of lipophilic components and lower
alkylene oxides or polyalkyleneoxy units. The fatty
alcohol polyglycol ethers mentioned, the alkylphenol
polyglycol ethers or else fatty acid alkylamides, for
example, are preferably employed.
Cationic surfactants can also be used, for
example aliphatic quaternary. ammonium salts.
The substances known as builders are also
generally known and can be inorganic or organic in
nature and water-soluble or insoluble. Substances such
as polyphosphates, for example pentasodium
triphosphate, carbonates or bicarbonates, for example
sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate, zeolites, for
example zeolite A, polycarboxylates, for example sodium
salts of copolymers of acrylic acid and malefic acid,
and also borates and silicates, for example laminar
sodium silicate, are preferred.
Further auxiliaries or additives which can be
added are fragrances and dyestuffs, bleaching agents or
brighteners, antistatic agents, antibacterial agents,
fungicides, foam-forming reagents and also anti-foaming
substances, antioxidants and enzymes.
The abovementioned substances for composing
cleaning compositions are intended to be examples and
have no limiting character for the formulations
according to the invention.
All the substances known in the prior art which
are described for formulating such cleaning
compositions can be mixed according to the invention
with ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate.
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The cleaning compositions according to the
invention can be present in solid form, as a powder, as
tablets, in block or piece form, as a paste, as a gel,
in liquid form, as a wax, as a cream, as an emulsion,
as a dispersion, as a foam or as a spray (aerosol form)
or as other suitable forms appropriate for the
particular use.
The quantitative composition of the individual
components for the various formulation possibilities is
well-known to the expert in this field and does not
have to be listed here in more detail.
According to the invention, the content of
ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate in the particular
formulations is 0.1 to 20% by weight, preferably 0.1 to
l0% by weight, especially preferably 0.1 to 60 by
weight.
The cleaning compositions according to the
invention are preferably present as an aqueous or
aqueous-alcoholic solution, as a detergent, as a wax,
as a gel, as an emulsion, as a cream, as a shampoo, as
a spray, as a dispersion or as a solid product.
The methods for the preparation of such
products are generally known to the expert in the field
of preparation of soaps and detergents and do not have
to be explained in more detail here.
To prepare an aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic
solution, the insect repellent is preferably 'dissolved
in a suitable solvent, such as water (which usually
means demineralized water), lower alcohols, such as,
for example, ethanol, or mixtures thereof. These
mixtures can of course also additionally comprise other
substances, such as, for example, esters, aldehydes,
ketones, hydrocarbons and also halogenated
hydrocarbons. Examples of the latter which may be
mentioned are isobutane, dichlorodifluoromethane,
monofluorotrichloromethane and other chlorinated and/or
fluorinated urethanes, ethanes or propanes. Such
substances include those liquefiable gases which remain
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in the liquid state in pressurized containers ready for
use as sprays.
Particularly preferred cleaning compositions of
this invention comprise, as a synthetic organic
surfactant, an anionic or nonionic surfactant, or
mixtures thereof, builders and/or fillers and the
insect repellent.
These cleaning compositions or detergents can
be present in particle form or in liquid form. The
liquid form comprises the same individual components,
but in addition a liquid medium, and if appropriate
also emulsifying substances and other auxiliaries.
Preferred shampoos for cleaning upholstery or
carpets also comprise water-soluble soaps and synthetic
wash-active substances, builder salts, the insect
repellents, and usually water as the liquid medium.
Such shampoos can also be formulated as a gel or in
paste or powder form.
Solid products according to the invention in
block, tablet or piece form (bars of soap), which can
be used for cleaning laundry, carpets and/or hard
surfaces, such as, for example, floors and walls, can
also be prepared.
In all these formulations, the ratios of soaps
or synthetic. organic surfactants, builders and
auxiliaries to insect repellent are similar and can be
varied within wide ranges. Preferably, the formulations
comprise 1 to 400 of surfactants or soaps, 10 to 900 of
builders and fillers and 0.1 to 200 of ethyl 3-(N
butylacetamino)propionate (figures in o by weight).
Water, alcohols, auxiliaries and/or emulsifying
substances are usually added for completion (to 1000 by
weight ) .
The various cleaning compositions described can
be prepared by methods known to the expert. Such
processes include spray drying, dry mixing, dissolving
and/or dispersing and/or emulsifying, grinding or
alternatively pressing.
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When the cleaning compositions according to the
invention are applied by spraying, wiping, rubbing or
other methods to the surfaces to be cleaned, the insect
repellent which they comprise is deposited on these
surfaces in a sufficiently high concentration or amount
to act as a repellent against insects.
Particularly preferred cleaning compositions of
this invention are those in liquid form.
The following formulations, which are used as
general-purpose cleaners, are especially preferred
embodiments according to the invention.
Amphoteric surfactants, for example those based
on cocamidoalkylbetaine, alone or mixed, with anionic,
cationic and nonionic surfactants, are preferably
employed in these general,purpose cleaners. Neutral
formulations as well as alkaline or acidic compositions
can be prepared with these.
Salt-free capryl iminodipropionate is pre
ferably employed as a further amphoteric surfactant for
use in highly alkaline or strongly acidic formulations.
Further particularly preferred surfactant
groups are the amine oxides and the alkyl poly-
glucosides, which are particularly readily mixed with
betaines and lauryl ether sulfates.
General-purpose cleaners can be employed
universally, as the name implies. They are usually
neutral to slightly alkaline formulations.
Formulations according to the invention of this
type with antibacterial additives are also particularly
preferred.
The cleaning compositions according to the
invention have a particularly good action against ants
and common cockroaches.
With the cleaning compositions of the present
invention, the consumer thus has available essentially
non-toxic and therefore highly environment-friendly but
nevertheless highly active products.
By using the cleaning compositions according to
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the invention and the process according to the
invention, it has been possible to demonstrate in
practice that, for example, significantly fewer
cockroaches were to be found behind cupboards or under
refrigerators compared with beforehand.
If floors, walls, sinks, doors or cupboards in
a house or flat are therefore treated regularly with
the cleaning compositions according to the invention,
the incidence of insects, in particular cockroaches or
ants, is reduced practically to zero.
without further embodiments, it is also assumed
that an expert can use the above description in the
broadest scope. The preferred embodiments are therefore
to be interpreted merely as a descriptive and not in
any way as a limiting disclosure.
The complete disclosure of all the
Applications, Patents and publications mentioned above
and below is introduced into this Application by
reference.
The following examples are intended to
illustrate the invention.
Example l: General-purpose cleaner with a good cleaning
and insect repellent action
Composition:
Ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate (1) 3.000
(Art. No. 111887)
Tego~ Betaine F 50 (2) 7.500
Ammonyx LO (2) 10.000
Texapon N 28 (3) 15.000
Trisodium citrate dihydrate (Art. No. (1) 4.000
106446)
Sodium carbonate (Art. No. 106392) (1) 3.000
Ethanol 960 (Art. No. 100971) (1) 3.000
Water, demineralized to 100.000
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The sodium carbonate and trisodium citrate are
dissolved in water. The other substituents are then
added in the sequence shown while stirring.
Sources of supply:
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt.
Th. Goldschmidt AG, Essen
Henkel KGaA, Diisseldorf
Example 2: Alkaline general-purpose cleaner
Composition:
Ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate (1) 3.000
(Art. No. 111887)
Tegotain~ 485 (2) 10.000
Lutensol A 8 (3) 9.000
Trisodium citrate dihydrate (1) 3.000
(Art. No. 106446)
Water, demineralized to 100.000
The trisodium citrate is dissolved in water. The other
constituents are then added in the sequence shown while
stirring.
Sources of supply:
20, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt
Th. Goldschmidt AG, Essen
BASF, Ludwigshafen
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Example 3: Antibacterial general-purpose cleaner
Ethyl 3-(N-butylacetamino)propionate (1) 3.000
(Art. No. 111887)
Tego~ Betaine F 50 (2) 5_000
BTC 50 (2) 5.000
Trisodium citrate dehydrate (1) 4.000
(Art. No. 106446)
Sodium carbonate (Art. No. 106392) (1) 3.000
Water, demineralized to 100.000
The sodium carbonate and trisodium_ citrate are
dissolved in water. The other constitu ents are then
added in the sequence shown while stirring. An
antibacterially acting general-purpose cleaner with
an
insect-repellent action is obtained.
Sources of supply:
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt
Th. Goldschmidt AG, Essen
