CA 02320544 2000-09-25
1
MULTIPHASE CLEANING AGENTS WITH OIL AND/OR WAX
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to multiphase liquid cleaning agents with an oil and/or
wax,
which can be temporarily emulsified by shaking, and used for cleaning and care
of
hard surfaces, especially furniture, a product containing the agent and a
method
for cleaning and/or care of hard surfaces.
1o Background of the Invention
Today the usual cleaning agents for hard surfaces are as a rule aqueous
preparations in the form of a stable solution or dispersion, which contain, as
essential active ingredients, surfactant substances, organic solutions and, if
necessary, chelating agents for the hardness constituents of the water,
abrasive
substances and cleansing alkalis. Cleaning agents which are especially
intended
for cleaning glass and ceramic surfaces are frequently formulated as solutions
of
the active ingredients in a mixture of water and organic solvents miscible
with
water, primarily low alcohols and glycol ethers. Examples of such agent are to
be
found in the German disclosure document 22 20 540, the US patent
specifications
3 839 234 and 3 882 038 and in the European patent applications 344 847 and
393 772. Such aqueous liquid cleaners are usually available as homogenous
stable solutions or dispersions.
In addition to the high primary cleansing effect of such a cleaning agent, the
consumer also wants, or even expects, these to have a caring effect when
treating
furniture. For this purpose, caring constituents, such as oils or waxes, are
incorporated into the cleaning agents.
The use of hydrophobic components of this kind in such cleaning agents to
3o improve the caring effect can however result in a reduction in cleaning
efficiency
and loss of the homogeneity of the agent; inhomogeneous agents are obtained
whose acceptance by the consumer is to be assessed as low. In such cases there
is a need for an alternative formulation of agents, which have a high cleaning
efficiency and despite their inhomogeneity, a definite outer appearance and
form
of application that are acceptable to the consumer.
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The German disclosure publication 39 10 170 describes compositions for the
bacterial desorption of hard surfaces and living tissue, which are available
in the
form of a 2-phase preparation and when shaken form a temporary oil-in-water
emulsion, the aqueous phase comprising c. 50 to 90 wt.% and the oil phase not
miscible in water c. 3 to 50 wt.%, serving as mouthwash. A content of c. 0.003
- 2
wt.% of an amphiphile cationic agent, for example a cationic surfactant is
essential, in a quantity enabling the formation of the oil-in-water emulsion,
said
emulsion breaking down and separating c. 10 seconds - 30 minutes after its
formation. Anionic surfactants impair the anti-bacterial effect. Other
surfactants
1o are not mentioned.
The European patent application 0 195 336 describes care products, which can
be emulsified by shaking, for delicate surfaces, especially plastic surfaces
or
compact discs, and which, in addition to an aqueous phase, contain a further
I5 organic phase, consisting of the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) 1,1,2-trichlor-
1,2,2-
trifluorethane. The agents are also free from wax. Because of their
environmentally harmful properties, in particular in connection with the hole
in the
ozone layer, the use of CFCs should however be reduced or, better still,
avoided.
2o The German disclosure publications 195 01 184, 195 01 187 and 195 01 188
(Henkel KGaA) disclose hair treatment agents in the form of 2-phase systems,
which have an oil phase and a water phase and can be mixed for a short time by
mechanical action, said oil phases containing 65 (195 01 188), 95 (195 01
187),
96.7 (195 01 187) or 98 wt.% of the cyclical decamethylpentasiloxanes (195 01
25 184), or 93.3 wt.% hexamethyldisiloxane (195 01 184). The cleansing
efficiency of
such agents is however inadequate.
Summary of the Invention
The task of the present invention was to produce agents, stable in storage,
with
3o high cleaning efficiency and caring effect for the treatment of hard
surfaces in a
handy form which is also acceptable to the consumer.
On object of the invention is, in a first embodiment, a liquid, multi-phase
cleaning
agent with at least two continuous phases, which contains at least one aqueous
35 phase I and a non-aqueous phase II that is not miscible with this aqueous
phase,
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and which can be temporarily converted into an emulsion by shaking, and which
contains in Phase II at least one oil and/or wax in a quantity of up to 50
wt.%
relative to Phase II.
s Non-miscible, non-aqueous phase means, in the context of the present
invention,
a phase not based on water as a solvent, whilst in the non-aqueous phase a
certain quantity, relative to phase II, of water normally exceeding 20 wt.%,
preferably not more than 15 wt.%, especially not more than 10 wt.% and
especially preferably not more than 5 wt.% can be contained, thoroughly
io dissolved.
In the simplest case an agent according to the invention consists of a
continuous
aqueous phase, which consists of the whole of Phase I, and a continuous non-
aqueous phase, which consists of the whole of Phase II. One or more continuous
15 phases of an agent according to the invention can however also contain
parts of
another phase in emulsified form, so that in such an agent, for example, Phase
I
exists on the one hand as continuous Phase I, which represents the continuous
aqueous phase of the agent, and on the other hand, is emulsified as non-
continuous Phase I in the continuous non-aqueous Phase II. The same applies to
2o Phase II and further continuous phases.
An object of the invention is, in a second embodiment, a method for cleaning
and/or care of hard surfaces, especially of furniture, in which a cleaning
agent
according to the invention is temporarily converted into an emulsion by
shaking,
25 applied to the surface to be cleaned and/or cared for, preferably by
spraying, and
this surface is then, if necessary, cleaned and/or cared for by wiping with an
absorbent soft object.
The agents according to the invention combine a high cleaning efficiency and
3o caring effect. They have separate phases, which can be emulsified for
application,
remain homogenous during application, and subsequently again form separate
phases. Moreover the agents according to the invention are, on the whole,
highly
stable in storage. Thus the individual phases in the agent are stable over a
long
period, without, for example, sediments forming, and the conversion into a
35 temporary emulsion remains reversible even after frequent shaking. In
addition
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the physical form of the agents according to the invention eliminates the
problem
of stabilization of an agent formulated as an emulsion per se. The separation
of
constituents in separate phases can, in addition, increase the chemical
stability of
the agent.
Detailed Description of the Invention
The content of at least one oil and/or wax in the agent according to the
invention
normally amounts to 0.01 - 30 wt.%, preferably 0.1 - 20 wt.%, especially 0.5 -
15
wt.%, especially preferably 1 - 7.5 wt.% and ideally 2 - 5 wt.%. Relative to
Phase
to II, the content of at least one oil and/or wax according to the invention
amounts to
up to 50 wt.%, preferably 0.1 - 45 wt.%, especially 1 - 40 wt.%, especially
preferably 5 - 35 wt.%, and ideally 10 - 30 wt.%. The agent can also contain
mixtures of two or more oils or of two or more waxes or of at least one oil
and at
least one wax. In mixtures of oils) and waxes) the ratio by weight of oils) to
Is waxes) amounts preferably to 10 : 1 - 1 : 5, especially 5 : 1 - 1 : 2,
especially
preferably 3 : 1 - 1 : 2, especially preferably 3 : 1 - 1 : 1, and ideally 2 :
1 to more
than 1 : 1.
Suitable oils are synthetic and natural oils, especially silicones
(polysiloxanes,
2o systemic name: polyorganosiloxanes) or silicone fluids. Silicones/silicone
fluids
are described, for example, in Rompp Lexicon Chemie [Rompp Lexicon of
Chemistry]- Version 1.5, StuttgartlNew York: Georg Thieme Verlag 1998 on CD-
Rom under the key word Silicones and in Ullmann's Encyclopaedia of Industrial
Chemistry, Sixth Edition, 1999 Electronic Release under the key word
Silicones.
25 Preferred silicones are the silicone fluids, which are either cyclical
polysiloxanes,
or linear polysiloxanes as described by Formula I:
~ CHs ~ - ~ CHs
30 (CHs)sSl - O - ~ - SI - O - ~ - - SI - O-~- SI(CHs)s
(I)
~ CHs ~~ -~ R ~ m
in which R stands for an alkyl residue, especially an alkyl residue with 2 -
14
carbon atoms, an alkyl residue, especially a phenyl residue, or a
fluorocarbon,
CA 02320544 2000-09-25
especially -CH2 CHZCF3, n stands for a number from 0 - 4,000 and m for a
number
from 0 - 1,000. In the cyclic polysiloxanes, the terminal groups of Formula I
(CH3)3Si-O-and -Si(CH3)3 are missing, and are replaced by a ring closure.
5 Preferred cyclic silicone fluids are the polydimethylcyclosiloxanes
[Si(CH3)30]~, for
example the dimethylsiloxane tetramer (n = 4) and dimethylsiloxane pentamer (n
= 5). Preferred linear silicone fluids are the poly(methylalkylsiloxanes)
(Formula I:
R = C2_,4-alkyl, n = 0 - 100, m = 1 - 100), the poly(methylphenylsiloxanes)
(Formula I: R = phenyl, n = 0 - 1000, m = 1 - 1,000), and the
poly(fluorosiloxanes),
to (Formula I: R = - CHZCH2CF3, n = 0, m = 10 - 100. Especially preferred
silicone
fluids are the poly(methylalkylsiloxanes) (Formula I: n = 0 - 4,000, m = 0) of
Formula II,
I CHs I
is
(CH3)3S1- O - I - SI - O - I - SI(CH3)s
(II)
I cH3 h
in which n stands for a number from 0 - 4,000, preferably from 1 - 1,300,
especially from 10 - 1,100, especially preferably from 50 - 800 and ideally
from
100 - 600.
In one preferred embodiment the agent according to the invention contains at
least one oil, especially at least one silicone fluid, which has a kinematic
viscosity
v of preferably from 0.8 - 70,000, especially from 10 - 35,000, especially
preferably from 50 - 15,000 and ideally from 200 - 6,000. The kinematic
viscosity v
3o is the quotient of the dynamic viscosity rl and the density p of the fluid,
i.e. v = r~/ p.
As the density of the polydimethylsiloxanes is below 1 g~cm-3 and as from a
viscosity of at least 3 cSt, amounts to at least 0.9 g~cm-3, the dynamic
viscosity rl
in mPa~s is somewhat lower than the kinematic viscosity v in cSt. The
molecular
mass M of a polydimethylsiloxane can be calculated from the viscosity r125 at
25°C
according to the formula M = 464-( rlzs)°.e2s/(2 + 0.0905( 'n25)0.555}.
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Linear polydimethylsiloxanes are available, for example, under the trade names
Dow Corning~ 200, or Dow Corning~ 200 Fluid from the company Dow Corning
and Baysilonol~ M or Baysilone~ bl M from the company Bayer, with a number
indicating cinematic viscosity v in cSt (Centistokes) at 25°C being
connected with
each trade name, also followed in the case of the polydimethylsiloxanes of Dow
Corning by the letters CS or CST, for Centistoke, e.g. Dow Corning~ 200 Fluid
0.65 CS, Dow Corning~ 200 Fluid 1 CS, Dow Corning~ 200 Fluid 5 CS, Dow
Corning~ 200 Fluid 100 CS, Dow Corning~ 200 Fluid 350 CS, Dow Corning~ 200
Fluid 500 CS, Dow Corning~ 200 Fluid 1000 CS, Dow Corning~ 200 Fluid 5000
to CS, Dow Corning~ 200 Fluid 12500 CS, Dow Corning~ 200 Fluid 30000 CS and
Dow Corning~ 200 Fluid 60000 CS; and Baysilonol~ M 3, Baysilonol~ M 20,
Baysilonol~ M 100, Baysilonol~ M 300, Baysilonol~ M 30000 and Baysilonol~ M
60000. Cyclic polydimethylsiloxanes are available, for example under the trade
name Dow Corning~ from the company Dow Corning, e.g. the dimethylsiloxane
tetramer as Dow Corning~ 244 Fluid (v = 2.4 cSt) and Dow Corning~ 344 Fluid (v
= 2.7 cSt), as well as dimethylsiloxane pentamer as Dow Corning~ 245 Fluid (v
=
4 cSt) and Dow Corning~ 345 Fluid (v = 6 cSt).
Suitable waxes are natural, chemically modified (natural) and synthetic waxes.
2o Vegetable waxes include both vegetable waxes, especially candelilla wax,
carnauba wax, Japan wax, esparto grass wax, cork wax, guaruma wax, rice-germ
wax, sugar cane wax, ouricury wax and montan wax, and also animal waxes,
especially beeswax, shellac wax, spermaceti, lanolin (wool wax) and uropygial
fat,
as well as mineral waxes, especially ceresin and ozocerite, and petrochemical
waxes, especially petrolatum, paraffin waxes and micro-waxes (micro-
paraffins).
Examples of chemically modified waxes are the hard waxes which include montan
ester waxes, sasol waxes and hydrated jojoba waxes. Suitable synthetic waxes
are polyalkylene waxes (polyolefin waxes), especially polyethylene waxes, and
polyalkylene glycol waxes, especially polyethylene glycol waxes. In a
preferred
3o embodiment, the agent according to the invention contains at least one wax,
preferably a natural wax, especially preferably beeswax, carnauba wax and/or
lanolin. Waxes are described for example, in Rompp Lexicon Chemie [Rompp
Lexicon of Chemistry]- Version 1.5, StuttgarflNew York: Georg Thieme Verlag
1998 on CD-Rom under the key word Waxes and in Ullmann's Encyclopaedia of
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Industrial Chemistry, Sixth Edition, 1999 Electronic Release under the key
word
Waxes.
In a special embodiment of the invention the agent is essentially CFC-free,
i.e. the
aqueous liquid Phase II is not based on CFCs. In this case the agents
according
to the invention, because of the negative environmental effects of these
compounds, preferably contain no CFCs at all, whilst small quantities of up to
c. 5
wt.%, relative to the whole agent, can still be tolerated. In a preferred
embodiment of the invention, the continuous Phases I and II are separated from
1o each other by a clearly defined interface.
In an especially preferred embodiment of the invention, one or both of the
continuous Phases I and II contain parts, preferably 0.1 - 40 vol.%,
especially 0.2 -
35 vol.%, especially preferably 0.5 - 30 vol.%, and ideally 1 - 20 vol.%,
relative to
the volume of the continuous phase in question, of the other phase as a
dispersion agent. The continuous phase I or, as the case may be, II is then
reduced by the volume percentage which is distributed through the other phase
as
a dispersion agent. Especially preferred are agents, in which Phase I is
emulsified
in Phase II, in quantities of 0.1 - 40 vol.%, especially 0.2 - 35 vol.%, for
example c.
33 vol.%, relative to the volume of Phase II.
In a further special embodiment of the invention, in addition to the
continuous
phases I and II, part of both phases is present in the other phase, as an
emulsion
of one of the two phases in the other phase, and said emulsion is separated by
two, preferably distinct, interfaces, an upper and a lower, from the parts of
Phases
I and II not forming part of the emulsion.
The agents according to the invention contain preferably 5 - 95 vol.% of Phase
I
and 95 - 5 vol.% of Phase II.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the agent contains 35 - 95
vol.% Phase I and 5 - 65 vol.% Phase II, especially 55 - 95 vol.% Phase I and
5 -
45 vol.% Phase II, and ideally 70 - 90 vol.% Phase I and 10 - 30 vol.% Phase
II,
for example 75, 80 or 85 vol.% Phase I and 25, 20 or 15 vol.% Phase II.
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Furthermore, the continuous Phase I preferably represents the lower phase and
the continuous Phase II the upper phase.
In a likewise preferred embodiment, the non-water-miscible Phase II is based
on
aliphatic benzine hydrocarbons and/or terpene hydrocarbons. The benzine
hydrocarbons preferably have a boiling-point range of 130 - 260°C,
especially 140
- 240°C, especially preferably 150 - 220°C, like for example the
C9_,3-isoparaffins
with a boiling-point range of 184 - 217°C, available for example as
Shellsol~ T
from the company Deutsche Shell Chemie AG (Eschborn). Preferred terpene
to hydrocarbons are citrus oils such as the orange oil obtained from orange
peel, the
orange terpenes contained in this, especially limes, or pine oil, which is
extracted
from roots and tree stumps, or mixtures of these. In this case Phase II
contains
benzine hydrocarbons preferably in quantities of 50 - 99.99 wt.%, especially
preferably 55 - 99.9 wt.%, especially 60 - 99 wt.%, and ideally 65 - 95 wt.%,
for
example 70 - 90 wt.%.
As surface-active substances, for the agents according to the invention,
surfactants are suitable, especially those classed as anionic and non-ionic
surfactants. The agents preferably contain one or more anionic and/or non-
ionic
2o surfactants, with the anionic surfactants being contained in particular in
Phase I.
The quantity of anionic surfactants, relative to Phase I, is not normally more
than
10 wt.%, preferably between 0.01 and 5 wt.%, especially between 0.01 and 0.5
wt.%, especially preferably between 0.01 and 0.3 wt.%. To the extent that the
agents contain non-ionic surfactants, their concentration, preferably in Phase
I,
relative to Phase I, is normally not more than 3 wt.%, preferably between
0.001
and 0.3 wt.%, and especially between 0.001 and 0.1 wt.%, and in Phase II,
relative to Phase II, normally not more than 5 wt.%, preferably between 0.001
and
0.5 wt.%, especially between 0.001 and 0.2 wt.%, especially preferably between
0.005 and 0.1 wt.% and ideally between 0.01 and 0.05 wt.%.
Substances suitable as one or more anionic surfactants are preferably C$-C~8-
alkylbenzene sulfonates, especially with c. 12 C atoms in the alkyl part, C$-
C2o-
alkane sulfonates, Cs-C,8-monoalkylsulfates, Ce-C,8-
alkylpolyglycolethersulfates
with 2 - 6 ethylene oxide units (EO) in the ether part and sulfosuccinic acid
esters
with 8 - 18 C atoms in the alcohol residues, and mixtures of these.
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The anionic surfactants are preferably used as sodium salts, but can also be
contained as other alkali- or alkaline-earth metallic salts, for example
magnesium
salts, and in the form of ammonium or amine salts.
Examples of such surfactants include sodium-coconut-alkylsulfate, sodium-sec.-
alkane sulfate with c. 15 C atoms and sodium dioctylsulfosuccinate. Fat
alkylsulfates with 12 - 14 C atoms such as sodium laurylethersulfate with 2 EO
have proved especially suitable. As non-ionic surfactants, the following
substances should especially be mentioned: C8-C,8-alcoholpolyglycolethers,
i.e.
1o ethoxylated alcohols with 8 - 18 C atoms in the alkyl part and 2 - 15
ethylene
oxide units (EO), C8-C,8-carbonic acid polyglycolesters with 2 - 15 EO,
ethoxylated fatty acid amides with 12 - 18 C atoms in the fatty acid part and
2 - 8
EO, long-chained amine oxides with 14 - 20 C atoms and long-chained
alkylpolyglycosides with 8 - 14 C atoms in the alkyl part and 1 - 3 glycoside
units.
The agents preferably contain one or more non-ionic surfactants from the group
of
ethyoxylates of long-chained alcohols, alkylpolyglycosides and mixtures of
these.
Examples of such surfactants are oleyl-cetyl-alcohol with 5 EO, nonylphenol
with
10 EO, laurinic acid diethanolamide, coconut-alkyldimethylamine oxide and
coconut-alkylpolyglucoside with, on average, 1.4 glucose units.
The following substances are preferred as non-ionic surfactants in the aqueous
phase in addition to the additive products of ethylene oxide and long-chained
alcohols: in particular fat alcohols, especially with 4 - 8 ethylene oxide
units, which
contain alkylpolyglycosides, and again the representatives of these with 8 -
10 C
atoms in the alkyl part and up to 2 glucose units. In the non-aqueous Phase
II,
substances especially preferred as non-ionic surfactants are fat alcohol
polyglycolethers, especially with 2 - 8 EO, for example oleyl-cetyl-alcohol+5-
EO-
ether, and/or fatty acid polyglycolester (FAE) especially with 2 - 10 EO, for
example tallow fatty acid+6-EO-esters. Also for the non-ionic surfactants, in
3o particular the alcoholpolyglycolethers and carbonic acid polyglycolesters,
for
Phase II the degree of ethoxylation is determined on the basis of the C-chain
length, so that shorter C chains with lower degrees of ethoxylation or longer
C
chains with higher degrees of ethoxylation are combined.
. CA 02320544 2000-09-25
In a special embodiment of the invention, the agents contain one or more
anionic
and non-ionic surfactants. In this case combinations of anionic surfactant in
Phase
I and non-ionic surfactant in Phase II are especially advantageous, for
example
combinations of fat alkylsulfates and/or fat alcohol polyglycolether sulfates
in
s Phase I with fat alcohol polyglycolethers and/or FAE in Phase II, especially
C~2_~4-
fat alcohol sulfates and/or C,2_,4-fat alcohol polyglycolethersulfates with,
preferably, 2 ethylene oxide units (EO) in Phase I, and non-ionic surfactant,
especially C,6_,$-fat alcohol polyglycolethers with preferably 2 - 8 EO and/or
C,4_,8-
fatty acid polyglycolesters with preferably 2 - 10 EO, in Phase II.
In addition, the cleaning agents according to the invention can contain one or
more water-soluble organic solvents. The quantity of one or more organic
solvents
in Phase I amounts to preferably 0.1 - 15 wt.%, especially 1 - 10 wt.%,
especially
preferably 2 - 8.5 wt.%, and ideally 4 - 7 wt.%, for example 5 or 6 wt.%,
relative to
the aqueous Phase I.
Suitable solvents are for example water-soluble hydrocarbons with one or more
hydroxy groups, preferably the alcohols and glycols with 2 or 6 C atoms,
especially 2 or 3 C atoms, and their ethers in the form of glycol ethers/ether
2o alcohols and mixtures of these.
As alcohols, ethanol, isopropanol and n-propanol are in particular used.
Suitable
ether alcohols include sufficiently water-soluble compounds with preferably no
more than 10 C atoms in the molecule. Examples of such ether alcohols are:
ethylene glycolmonobutylether, propylene glycolmonobutylether,
diethyleneglycolmonobutylether, propylene glycolmono-tertiary butyl ether and
propylene glycolmonoethylether, out of which ethylene glycolmonobutylether and
propylene glycolmonoethylether are preferred. If alcohol and ether alcohol are
used together with each other, their weight ratio should preferably lie
between 1
2 and 4 :1. Ethanol is especially preferred within the framework of the
invention.
In a preferred embodiment the agent according to the invention contains one or
more water-soluble organic solvents from the group of lower alcohols with 2 or
3 C
atoms, of glycols with 2 or 3 C atoms, and of glycol ethers with up to 10 C
atoms
and mixtures of these, especially ethanol.
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The agents can preferably be converted to the temporary emulsion according to
the invention by shaking up to three times, preferably up to twice, and
especially
preferably once, so that the temporary emulsion generated by the shaking
remains stable for a period of time sufficent for comfortable application of
the
agent, of c. 0.5 - 10 min, preferably 1 - 5 min, and especially 1.5 - 4 min,
i.e. on
the one hand it does not break down directly after the shaking ceases, and on
the
other hand, it does not remain stable for a long period. The term stable here
shall
be taken to mean that after the period in question at least 90 wt.% of the
agent is
present as the temporary emulsion generated by shaking. Besides the selection
to and dosage of basic and active components, a regulating agent is also
present for
adjustment of the latter properties of agents according to the invention by
regulating the viscosity of the individual phases.
The aqueous Phase I preferably has a viscosity according to Brookfield (Model
DV-II+, spindle 31, rotating frequency 20 min-', 20°C) of 0.1 - 200
mPa~s,
especially 0.5 - 100 mPa~s, especially preferably 1 - 60 mPa~s, and ideally 5 -
20
mPa~s. For this purpose the agent, or the contained phases, contain one or
more
viscosity regulators. The quantity of viscosity regulators in Phase I,
relative to
Phase I, normally amounts to up to 0.5 wt.%, preferably 0.001 - 0.3 wt.%,
2o especially 0.01 - 0.2 wt.%, and especially preferably 0.02 - 0.1 wt.%.
Suitable
viscosity regulators include synthetic polymers such as the homo- and/or
copolymers of the acrylic acid and/or their derivatives and their salts, for
example
the products of the company Goodrich, available under the trade name
Carbopol~, especially the cross-linked acrylic acid copolymer Carbopol~ ETD
2623. In the international application WO 97138076, referred to in this
connection,
and whose content is hereby included in this application, a number of further
polymers derived from the acrylic acid are listed, which also represent
suitable
viscosity regulators.
3o In addition the agents according to the invention contain volatile alkali
in Phase I.
As such, ammonia and/or one or more alkanolamines which can contain up to 9 C
atoms in the molecule are preferred. As alkanolamines the ethanolamines are
preferred, and of these the monoethanolamine. The content of ammonia and/or
alkanolamine, relative to Phase I, amounts to preferably 0.01 - 3 wt.%,
especially
0.02 - 1 wt.%, and especially preferably 0.05 - 0.5 wt.%.
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Besides the volatile alkali the agents according to the invention can in
addition
contain carbonic acid in Phase I, with the equivalent ratio of amine and/or
ammonia to carbonic acid being preferably between 1 : 0.9 and 1 : 0.1.
Carbonic
acids with up to 6 C atoms are suitable, and these may be mono-, di- or
polycarbonic acids. Depending on the equivalent weight of amine and carbonic
acid, the content of carbonic acid, relative to Phase I is preferably between
0.01
and 2.7 wt.%, especially between 0.01 and 0.9 wt.%. Examples of suitable
carbonic acid are acetic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, citric acid,
succinic acid and
adipic acid, of which acetic acid, citric acid and lactic acid are preferably
used.
1o Acetic acid is especially preferably used.
Besides the aforementioned components the agent according to the invention can
contain further auxiliary substances and additives, such as are usual in
agents of
this kind. These include in particular dyes, perfume oils, pH-regulators (e.g.
citric
1s acid, alkanomines, or NaOH), preservatives, chelating agents for alkaline-
earth
ions, enzymes, bleach systems and antistatic substances. The quantity of such
additives does not normally exceed 2 wt.% of the cleaning agent. The lower
limit
for use depends on the nature of the additive and can for example amount to up
to
0.001 wt.% or less in the case of dyes. The quantity of auxiliary substances
is
2o preferably between 0.01 and 1 wt.%.
The pH value of the aqueous Phase I can - in adaptation to the purpose in
question - be varied over a broad range from strongly acid, through neutral,
to
highly alkaline; however a range of 1 - 12 is preferred, especially 2 - 11.
In a neutral embodiment the pH value amounts to more than 6 - less than 8,
preferably 6.5 - 7.5 and especially approx. 7.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the agents are adjusted to be
alkaline
3o with a pH value of 8 - 12, preferably 8 - 11, especially 8 - 10.5, for
example
between 8 and 9, for moderate alkalinity or above 9 - 10.5, 11 or even 12,
e.g. 10
for stronger alkalinity.
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13
In a likewise preferred embodiment of the invention the agents are adjusted to
be
acid with a pH value of 1 - 6, preferably 1.5 - 5.5, especially 2 - 5,
especially
preferably 2.2 - 4.5, for example 2.3, 3 or 4.
In a preferred embodiment the agents according to the invention contain 70 -
95
vol.%, especially 70 - 90 vol.%, aqueous Phase I containing
0 - 10 wt.% anionic surfactant,
0 - 3 wt.% non-ionic surfactant,
0 - 5 wt.% water-soluble organic solvent,
0 - 0.5 wt.% viscosity regulator,
0 - 3 wt.% volatile alkali,
0 - 0.2 wt.% perfume and,
ad 100 wt. water, and
5 - 30 vol.%, especially 10 - 30 vol.%, non-aqueous Phase II, containing
0 - 99.9 wt.% aliphatic benzine hydrocarbons,
0 - 99.9 wt.% non-ionic terpene hydrocarbons,
0.1 - 50 wt.% of at least one oil and/or wax,
0 - 5 wt.% non-ionic surfactant and,
0 - 1 wt.% perfume,
2o where the wt.% figures relate to the relevant phase, the total benzine and
terpene
hydrocarbons of Phase II are made up to (adJ 100 wt.% and the phases may
additionally contain small quantities of dye. Especially preferably, the
anionic
surfactants are contained in quantities of 0.1 - 5 wt.%, preferably 0.01 - 0.5
wt.%,
especially 0.1 - 0.3 wt.%, and/or the non-ionic surfactants in quantities of
0.001 -
0.5 wt.%, preferably 0.005 - 0.1 wt.%, especially 0.01 - 0.05 wt.%.
The agent according to the invention is sprayable and can therefore be used in
a
spray dispenser.
3o The third object of the invention is accordingly a product containing an
agent
according to the invention and a spray dispenser.
The preferred spray dispenser is a manually activated spray dispenser,
especially
selected from the group comprising aerosol spray dispensers, self-priming
spray
dispensers, pump spray dispensers and trigger spray dispensers, especially
pump
CA 02320544 2000-09-25
14
spray dispenser and trigger spray dispensers with a container made from
transparent polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate. Spray dispensers are
described in more detail in WO 96/04940 (Procter & Gamble) and the US patents
cited therein relating to spray dispensers, to which global reference is made
in this
regard and whose content is hereby included in this application.
Application of the agents according to the invention occurs preferably in that
the
agent converted temporarily into an emulsion is applied in quantities of c.
1.5 - 10
g per m2, especially 3 - 7 g per mz, to the surface to be cleaned and/of cared
for,
to and these surfaces are then immediately wiped with an absorbent, soft
object, so
that they are cleaned and/or cared for. The application of the agents is
preferably
achieved by means of suitable spraying devices, especially a spray dispenser
or a
product according to the invention, to achieve as even a distribution as
possible.
For wiping, sponges or cloths are particularly suitable; these can be rinsed
out
with water from time to time during treatment of larger surfaces.
The agents according to the invention are produced by separate mixing of the
individual phases directly from their own particular raw materials, then
putting the
phases together and intermixing them, and finally leaving the mixture to stand
until
2o the temporary emulsion separates. They can also be produced by directly
mixing
up their raw materials, then intermixing and finally leaving the mixture to
stand
until the temporary emulsion separates. If a component is not completely
insoluble
in a phase other than that to which the component in question is assigned, or
with
which it is introduced into the agent, this other phase may also contain
corresponding constituents of the component concerned within the framework of
the adjustment of solubility stability by diffusion.
35
CA 02320544 2000-09-25
Examales
Table 1 shows the composition of the agent E1 according to the invention, as
an
example. C9_,3-isoparaffins were used as aliphatic benzine hydrocarbon. The
5 agent contained a transparent aqueous Phase I below, and a creamy emulsion
of
Phase I in non-aqueous Phase II above, with the volume of emulsified Phase I
making up approximately one-third of the volume of Phase II, in a volume ratio
of
Phase I to the emulsion of Phase I in Phase II of approximately 80 : 20, and
separated by a distinct interface. The temporary emulsion generated by shaking
1o remained stable for a period of time of approximately 3 min sufficient for
comfortable use of the agent, followed by renewed phase separation.
Table 1
Composition [wt.%j E1
Silicon fluid Dow Corning~ 200 Fluid 7.5
350 CS
Sodium-C,2_,4-fat alkylsulfate 0.2
Ethanol 4,g
Cross-linked acrylic acid copolymer<a~ 0.025
Aliphatic benzine-hydrocarbon~b~ 7.5
Aqueous ammonia solution, 25 wt.% 0.046
Perfume 0.06
Dye <0.001
Water ad 100
pH value of Phase I g
a Carbopol~ ETD 2623
1 s ~b~ Shellsol'~ T
