CA1056251A - Cleaning composition - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Aqueous cleaning compositions, especially effective in dissolving soap curd, are provided which comprise in aqueous solution an ammonium, alkylamine or hydroxy-alkylamine salt of nitrilotriacetic acid, an alkylene polyamine polycarboxylic acid, or mixtures thereof, and one or more nonionic surfactants, wherein the alkylamine and hydroxy-alkylamine have a chain length of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, the composition is substantially free of alkali metal ions, and the alkylene polyamine polycarboxylic acid has the formula (HOOCCH2)2N[(CH2)xNCH2COOH]yCH2C
wherein x and y may each independently be from 1 to 4.

Description

: `:

~` ~056Z5~
This invention relates to cleaning compositions.
; More specifically, the invention relates to cleaning composi-~` tions which are more effective in dissolving soap curd, from various surfaces - especially bathroom tile surfaces found -~ in the sink, bathtub, floor, wall, and toilet - than conven-tional cleaning compositions comprising scouring agents, soaps `:
- and the like.

; Soap, although an excellent detergent, has the dis-~;
; advantage that it reacts with the metallic ions in water to form an insoluble curd. This curd, formed from the calcium and :
magnesium ions of hard water and soap, together with small amounts of oil, grease, fatty substances from the body, or even hair grooming products, adheres to the surface of the sink or tub tile and tends to accumulate creating an unsightly .. . .
~ and unhealthy environment in the bathroom. Most conventional `^~ cleaners require that the user expend a great deal of energy il . in applying and removing the soap curd with the aid of a washcloth or brush.
The cleaning compositions of the present invention .~:
are easier to use because they readily dissolve the soap curd deposits with a minimum amount of effort by the user.
: ^ , .
~ In order to remove soap curd deposits, sequestering `~ agents are utilized, which are well known in the prior art.
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U.S. Patent No. 2,921,908 to McCune discloses a detergent composition comprising the alkaline salts of amino polycar-boxylates as sequestering agents and organic phosphates, which prevent corrosion by the sequestering agents. U.S.
Patent No. 3,308,065 to Lesinski discloses a scale removal composition comprising the ammonia and amine salts of alkylene polyamine polycarboxylic acids as sequestering agents.
U.S. Patent No. 3,454,500 to Heaton discloses a soap curd dispersing mixture containing a fatty acid soap, a

- 2 - ~

~5625~
detergent and a water soluble salt of a sequestering agent.
U.S. Patent No. 3,679,592 to Schomburg discloses an aqueous cleaning composition for cleaning hard surfaces comprising an amine or ammonium salt of a fil~-forming polymer, a surfactant and a scale inhibitor or sequestering agent. U.S. Patent No.

3,591,509 to Parks et al discloses a hard surface cleaning composition including a nonionic surfactant, a solvent, sequestrant, sodium carboxymethylcellulose and water. How-ever, none of the above-mentioned prior art patents discloses . .
the gelling problem associated with using salts of sequestering - agents in dissolving soap curd, nor the importance of not having sodium ions present when attempting to dissolve the soap curd and also prevent such gel formation.
~, .
It has been recently disclosed in commonly-assigned ~ U.S. Patent No. 4,029,607 issued June 14, 1977 to Murtaugh and -~` entitled "Drain Cleaning Compositions", that combinations of `~ certain anionic surfactant salts, amine salts of sequestrants and water having substantially no alkali metal ions are ` effective in overcoming this gelling problem. However, there is no disclosure as to the specific nonionic surfactants containing cleaning compositions disclosed by Applicant herein.
, . , In one aspect of this invention there is provided a cleaning composition comprising:
(a) from about 1 to 5% by weight of a member selected ~` from the group consisting of an ammonium, alkylamine, alkylene-diamine or hydroxyalkylamine salt of nitrilotriacetic acid, an alkylene polyamine polycarboxylic acid having the formula (HOOCCH2)2N[(CH2)X NCH2COOH]yCH2COOH
wherein the values of x and y may vary independently from 1 30 to 4, or mixtures thereof;

":
.

' (b) at least about 0.75% by weight of at least one ``nonionic surfactant characterized as having an HLB number of at least about 13.5; and ,~ (c) up to about 98.25% by weight of water, ~i.
wherein the alkyl moieties of said alkylamine and hydroxy-alkylamine and the alkylene moiety of said alkylene-diamine have a chain length of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms and . . .
~; said composition is substantially free of sodium ions. Preferably , the above composition contains at least about 2% by weight of said member in (a), at least about 1% by weight of said `. nonionic surfactant, and up to about 97% by weight of water.

' In another aspect of the present invention there is.;.
`~ provided such a composition as described in the immediately ; preceding paragraph wherein the nonionic surfactant is selected ~:;
~ from the group consisting of:
., ~ . .
(a) ethoxylated linear primary alcohols selected from those having the formula :i:. . .
. ~ .
CmH2m+lO(cH2cH2o)n ' wherein m can vary from 12 to 15 and n is at least 12, and ` 20 an additional alcohol characterized as being a clear liquid ~:.
having an HLB number of 14, a freezing point of 1C, a cloud ~"~ point of 400F, a pH of 6-8, and a specific gravity of 1.02 at ` (b) ethoxylated linear secondary alcohols having the formula CH3(CH2)m7H(cH2)p 3 . ,. O--~CH2CH20) nH~
wherein the sum of m and p is 9 to 13 and n is at least 12' and ` (c) ethoxylated octyl phenols having the formula C H - ~ (OCH2CH2)n-OH, . `

4 -.~

::` lOS6Z51 wherein n is at least 9.
.; In another preferred aspect of this invention, the monoethanolamine salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and said nonionic surfactant is selected from the group consisting `~ of said additional member ethoxylated linear primary alcohol :. having an HLB number of 14 of (a); an ethoxylated linear -~ primarly alcohol of (b) wherein n is 12 and said alcohol has a HLB number of 14.5, and an ethoxylated octyl phenol of (c) wherein n is 12 to 13 and said phenol has an HLB number of 14.6.
In a further aspect of this invention there is pro-vided a cleaning composition comprising:\
.. (a) from about 1 to 5~'by weight of a member selected from the group consisting of ammonium, alkylamine, alkylene-. diamine or hydroxyalkylamine salt of nitrilotriacetic acid, an alkylene polyami.ne polycarboxylic acid having the formula (HOOCCH2)N[(CH2)xNCH2COOH]yCH2COOH
wherein the values of x and y may vary independently from 1 to s 4, or mixtures thereof;
(b) at least about 0.5% by weight of at least one ` 20 nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of:
(1) ethoxylated linear secondary alcohols having the formula CH3(CH2)mlCH (cH2)pcH3 ., O--(CH2CH20) nH, wherein the sum of m and p is 9 to 13 and said alcohol has an HLB number of 14.5 when n is 12 or an HLB number of 18 when n is 40;

. .
., .

- 5 -:
: ... . . . . . ~

; lOS6Z51 (2) an ethoxylated linear primary alcohol characterized afi b~ing a clear liquid having an HLB number of 13.1, a - - freez-ng point of 56-63C, a flash point of 375F, a pH of S-7, a pour point of 23F, and a specific gravity of 1.0072 at 20C, and (3) an ethoxylated octyl phenol having the formula ,.i ;` C8H17 ~ (OCH2CH2)9OH
. .
wherein said phenol has an HLB number of 13.5;, (c) up to about 98.5% by weight of water, !
~- 10 wherein the alkyl moieties of said alkylamine and hydroxy-alkylamine and the alkylene moiety of said alkylene-. .
~ diamine have a chain length of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms and said .. :, .
~; composition is substantially free of sodium ions.

Another preferred embodiment is one comprising 1% by '.~ .
weight of the nonionic surfactant having an HLB number of 13.1 `, previously described in section (b)(2): 87.15% by weight of water; 3% by weight of monoethanolamine; 0.4% by weight of ethylenediamine; 3% by weight of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid;
0.5% by weight of an antimicrobial agent; 0.4% by weight of a 20 wetting agent~ 5% by weight of a solvent mixture consisting of .~.
~ 61.54% by weight of isopropanol and 38.46% by weight of butyl .:~. . .
y cellosolve; and 0.15% by weight of a perfume.
.~:
Another preferred embodiment is one which additionally . ~ .
-~ contains 0.01% by weight of 2-(4-thiazolyl)-benzimidazole as - an antifungal agent, said wetting agent is a fluorocarbon, and said antimicrobial agent is a mixture of alkyl dimethyl- and ~; alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chlorides.
Although the present invention should not be limited to any particular theory, it is believed that the cleaning compositions of, this invention react with soap curd to form a . . I

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.,. ~

~ lOS6Z51 metal complex between the sequestering agent and the calcium `~ or magnesium portion of the soap curd. Because this metal complex is soluble in water, the soap curd may then dissolve - and be washed away. However, along with formation of this metal complex, is the formation of the amine salt of the fatty acid portion of soap curd. It is believed that the amine salt forms a lyophilic colloidal system which is soluble in low concentrations. In solutions which are not extremely dilute, however, the salt is colloidal and forms an insoluble lyophilic amine soap gel. This gel forms on the surface of the dissolving soap curd ' "

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and retards or prevents dissolution of the soap curd. Thus, al-though the insoluble soap curd can be dissolved by use of the ammonium, alkylamine, or hydroxy-alkylamine salt of the seques-tering agent, it is prevented from being dissolved because of the formation of this surrounding insoluble gel.
Incorporation in the cleaning compositions of the present invention of the specific nonionic surfactants at the concentration levels disclosed herein eliminates the formation . :, of this insoluble lyophilic amine soap gel. ,It is believed that the nonionic surfactant acts as a coupling agent between .
~ the amine salt of the fatty acid portion of the soap curd and .....
water, so that it is more soluble and does not form this in-,; ,;
soluble gel on the surface of the dissolving soap curd.
~ Further, it has been found that the compositions of s~- this invention are not effective in dissolving soap curd if a substantial amount of sodium ions are present. These ions ~
prevent this coupling effect of the nonionic surfactant, as . described above, and allow the insoluble amine soap gel to be formed to prevent dissolution of the soap curd.
,.i ., Numerous se~uestering agents, those agents which have ~;~,`-' the capability of chelating or complexing metal ions, are known in the prior art which are useful in the compositions of the presen~ invention. The soluble salts of alkylene polyamine polycarboxylic acids are preferred because of their strong ~,.
~' complexing action with calcium and magnesium ions in hard water and those particular salts which are more preferred, have the i` formula ;^' (HCCH2 ) 2N ~ (CH2 ) XNCH2CH] yCH2COOH
wherein x and y may be independently from 1 to 7. The salts ,~ 30 most preferred are those having the above formula where x and y may each independently be from 1 to 4; and nitrilotriacetic acid.
, 7 --, -. .
, .
, - ~, .

~ : . . I . ~ ~ ~
`- I lOS6251 ¦ Representative of some of the salts of amino polycarboxylates useful ¦ in the c~mpositions of thls invention are ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, ethylene diamine trlacet~c acid, ethylene diaminetetraproprionic ¦ acid, and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid.
- l ~., 5 ¦ The ammonium, alkylamine twhich is meant to also include ¦ alkylenediamine), hydroxy-alkylamine, or mixtures thereof, salts ¦ of these sequestering agents are preferred in the compositions of this invention; such as, for example, methylamine-, dimethylamine-, ethylamine-, ethylenediamine- diethylamine-, butylamine-, butylenediaminl !-, ; 10 propylamine-, triethylamine-, trimethylamine-, the corresponding monoethanolamine-, diethanolamine-, triethanolamine-, isopropanolamine-, and propanol-amine salts. Generally, the alkylamine and hydroxy-~- alkylamine utilized in the compositions of this invention have a r~ . chain length of from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, hoNever, those having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms are preferred.
The abo~e-described sequestering agents and amines can be ~; . utilized in the compositlons of this invention in 811 combinations, such as, for example, mixing of two or more alkylene polyamine polycarboxylic acids or an alkylamine and a hydroxy-alkylamlne without departing ~rom the spirit of this in~ention. It is preferred ;- ~ to use as a sequesterant the monoethanolamine salt of ethylene-x~ ~; diamenetetraacetic acid.
k~ The minimum quantity o~ both the amine salt of the sequestering agent and o~ the nonionic sur~sctant in the cleaning compositions Or thls invention have been generally found to be with certain exceptions .
about re6pectlvely, 1% and 0.75~ by weight, where the HLB number Or ~ ,9l the surfsctant ls at least 13.5. If much less than these amounts ,` are utilized in the compositions, then the insoluble lyophilic gel forms and prevents dissolutlon Or the soap curd. I~ 4nly slightly 3 le~ser amounts are ut~lized, then the time necessary for dissolution .` . E

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` l . I lOS6251 ¦ of the soap curd is increased ~nd the amount of soap curd dissolved ¦ is decreased. Preferably, at least about ~ of said sequestering ¦ agent salt and at least about 1% of said surfactant are utilized.
Generally, it has been round that up to about 5% Or the se~uestering ; 5 1 agent and up to about 2% of the nonionic surfactant is sufficient ` : ~ to provide an effective cleaning composition. Greater amounts of ; each of these ingredients can be utilized in these cleaning compositions -. howe~er, the use of ~uch greater amounts is less economical without s: significantly increasing the efficiency in cleaning of these composition ;.
Many nonionic surfactants can be utilized in tbe cleaning compositions of this invention, as long as they function as coupling ; ` agents, as described above, and add no substantial ~uantity of :~ sodium ions to the compositions. In addition to its unique coupling ,~. effect with the sequestering agent to eliminate gel formation, the surractant provides a penetrating and wetting effect, so as to increase the rate at whlch the compo9ition penetrates soap curd ,; especially when fatty substances are also present. Generally, the clssses Or nonionic surfactants whIch have been found to be most ~; efrective at the above-mentioned concentration levels, with certain ;. 20 exceptions, are those having an HIB number Or at least 13.5. r . These may include the following:
m (a) ethoxylated linear primary alcohols such as the Neodol 25 series Or surractants made by Shell Chemical Company having the general formula E
Cm~ m~ltCH2CH2)nH ~ F
` where m is 12 to 15 and n is the last number in the surfactant ;~l name (~or example~ for Neodol 25-9~ n is 9). It has been found that such surractants are erfective where n is at . ~ * lea6t 12 (e.g. Neodol 25-12). Additionally efr~cti~e i5 Polyter- :~
~-- 30; gent SL-62 made by the O~ln Mathieson Co. oelieved to be sn *Trade Marks ,: ~, . . _' :, .
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. .
:' . .

.. ; 1056Z51 ethoxylated linear primary alcohol having more than about ¦ 8 moles of ethylene oxide in the molecule, and chsracterized q ~ ~ as being a clear liquid having àn HIB number of 14, a ; ' ¦ freezing point of 1C~ a cloud point of 4000F, a pH Or 5¦ 6-8 and a specific gravity of 1.02 at 25C.
¦ (b) Ethoxylated linear secondary alcohols such as the aj~15 ¦ Tergltol 15-S series of surfactants made by ~n;~r~
;~ I hsvlng the general formula ;~ ¦ CH3(CH2)mlcH(cH2)p 3 , ~" 10 I .. O--(CI~2CH20) nH
i~ l where the sum of m and p is 9 to 13 and n ~s the last number r ¦ of the surfactant name. It has been found that such surfactants, ¦ are effective where n ls at least 12 (e.g. Tergitol 15-S-12).
` b" . l (c) Ethoxylated octyl phenols such as the Triton X series ~- 15 1 f surfactants made by Rohm and Haas Company having the ;'B ¦ general formula ~- C8Hl ~ (0CH2CH2)n-oH
where n is at least 9. Examples are Triton X-100 where n ls I 9-10 and Triton X-102 ~here n is 12-13. Triton X-114 where -~ 20 ¦ n 18 7-8 has not been found to be as effective.
'`' ~`'t` I A8 an exception to the abo~e cla6s of surfactants which has been found to be quite e~ective 18 Surfonic J-4 made by Jefferson Chemical Company. This compound is characterized as being a clear .~ 11quid having an HLB number of 13.1, a freezing point Or 56-63C, a fla~h point of 375F~ a pH of 5-7~ a pour point of 23F, specific ,e gravity of 1.0072 at 20C~ and is believed to be an ethoxyl~ted~ llnear primary alcohol e timated to contain 7-9 mole~ o~ ethylene `c` oxid~ in the molecule. A virtually identical surfactant having an HlB number of 13.0 has_~l80 been found to be as ef~ective is Polyter-. 3 gent SL-42 made by Olin Mathle80n Company. It i8 generally *Trade Marks . ' - 10 _ ,, . .

". :.' ,-,.,`', ' . ,_ _ . _.
.. : ~ -:

,~
.- . 1056251 thought that these 6urfactants also contain a coupling agent or hydrotrope to mske them dissolve more quickly in water without ~orming gels. Most ~imilar surfactants tend to form gels with water which ; ~ignificantly decreases their rate of solution. The hydrotrope or s' 5 coupling agent in these surfactants might be in part causing the . ~nexpected soap curd gel breakup.
It has also been found that certain of the above-mentioned ~urfactants are effective at concentrations even as low as about ` -' 0.5% by weight of the cleaning composition. For example, Tergitol 15~S-12 (having an HIB number of 14.5); Tergitol 15-S-40 (having an ,.t, . HLB number of 18); Surfonlc J-4 (having an HIB number of 13.1):
: havlng proven to be effectlve at these low concentrations.
~; Some additional ingredients which may be included are effective amounts of antimicrobial agents such as a mixture of al~yl dimethyl '; 15 benzyl ammonium chlorlde ~50%.C12, 30~ C ~4, 17% C16, 3% C18) and . alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (60% C14, 30% C16, ; ;S~ 5~. C12, 5~, C18) sold as BTC-2125 by The Onyx Chemical Company, or . as Barquat 4520 by Lonza, Inc.; antifungicidal agents such as 2-(4-thlazolyl)-benzimi-dazole, sold by Merck & Co., Inc., - ~ 20 a9 Metasol TK-100; wetting agents such as Zonyl FSN, a fluoroc~rbon nonionlc surfactant sold by E. I. DuPont de Nemours snd Co. (Inc.);
orgsnic sol~ents for aiding in the dlssolving Or 0118 and grease whlch can include individually or mixtures of lower allphatlc mono-: ; ~`s hydrlc alcohols (e.g. lsopropanol, n-propanol, ethanol, sec-butanol, tert-butanol), lower alkylene glycols (e.g. ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butanediols, hexamethyleneglycol, etc.), and glycol ethers ` I!r~ (e.g. glycol monoethyl ether, glycol monobutyl ether, diethyleneglycol monoethyl;ether); perfumes; dyes; anti-soil redeposltlon agents or ~uspending agents (o.g. clays~ cssrboxymethylcellulose~ polyvinyl-alcohol, etc.); and solubillzers.

. *Trade Marks - 11 -. .

. ' . _ 10562~;1 . I
The following examples are presented to illustrate the present ` ~` I invention and are only exemplary and not limiting of the scope of ¦ the pre~ent lnvention.
~ ' I

~ ?~ 5 EXAM~LF I
: ,~. .
Effective cleaning compositions are given below for Formulations - ~ A, B and C having the weight percentages given below:
Formulation FormulationForDmlation A _ ~ C

'i ~ 10 Water 85.7932% 86.90% 86.91~, Surfonic J-4 0.987% 1.0% 1.0,~
.; Monoethanolamine 2.962% 3.0% 3.0%
Ethylenediamine 0.395% 0.4% 0.4 J` J.'" Ethylenediaminetetra-15 acidic acid 2.962%3-05~ 3.odp t~ ! Bl'C-2125 (509~ aq. sol.) 0.494% 0-5,~ 0-5'~
~; Zonyl FSN 0.0395% 0.04% -4%
~ Solvent mixture containing - ; 61.54'3l, isopropanol and , 38.46,~ butyl cellosolve 6.170% 5.0% 5.09 ~, Mets~oi TK-100 0.0123'36 0.01% ---~
i~,; 2 ` Perfume 0.185% 0.15% 0.15'36 ., D3~e ----- ----- 0.00005'~

~; EXAMPIIE, II
~ ,. .
A serles of experiments were performed to evalu~te the effective-ness Or lrarious types Or nonionic surractants as to their ability to break up gels rormed rrom magnesium and/or calcium soap curd and an .' amine salt of Q sequestering agent as given below.
1. PreParation Or the Soap Curds A batch Or calclum saap curd was made by adding ~i~cty grams of Procter and Gamble "Ambergranules" (88% active sodium soap) to . *Trade Marks .,- , . . - ~2 - ' ~ .
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lOS62Sl approximately 2-1/2 liters of water. The water was stirred and ` heated to approximately 120F at which temperature the soap ;- dissolved. Then a slight stoichiometric excess of calcium chloride, i.e. 10.17 grams of CaC12, was dissolved in about ` 100 grams of water and added dropwise with stirring to the hot . ~
~ soap solution to produce the insoluble soap curd. The pre-. , .
,~ cipitate was digested at 120F for one hour, cooled and filtered.
~ ~.
Then the precipitate was washed about 8 times with deionized water to remove sodium ions. Each washing consisted of adding . "i~ .
about 2 liters of water, stirring with a motorized propeller - blade for about 30 minutes and filtering. The precipitate j was dried to constant weight in a 180F oven. Using the same procedure, a batch of magnesium soap curd was made utilizing -- 19.78 grams of magnesium chloride, i.e. MgC12 6~I2O, instead of calcium chloride.
- 2. Preparation of the Gels ";
~- If the acid form of the sequestering agent was used to ., ~"
` prepare the gel, the following procedure was used. The required ``` weight of basic alkylamine or hydroxyalkylamine was added to . ~
` 20 the required weight of water. The acid form of the sequestering ~` agent was added and the solution was stirred until the acid was dissolved. If a salt of the sequestering acid was used, it was ; added to the water and the solution was stirred briefly to dis-.~
solve the salt. The insoluble soap curd was added and the solution was heated with stirring until the soap dissolved. As the soap dissolved, the gel was produced.
,~ 3. Gel Break Up Test Procedure ., For a specific test involving initially 0.25 grams of a given surfactant, ninety grams of the gel was added to a 100 ml. beaker. Its viscosity was measured ten times on a Brookfield Model RV Viscometer using a number 4 viscometer spindle and a speed of 100 R.P.M. Since the apparent viscosity :~.

.:

.:

lOS6ZSl of the gel is affected by spindle size, rotation speed and number of rotations, the same procedure was used on all tests.
The spindle was rotated 10 cycles with the clutch holding the - viscosity indicator at zero, the clutch was released and the viscometer was rotated an additional 15 cycles at which time the clutch was engaged and the apparent viscosity was measured.
If the apparent viscosity appeared to be changing, further readings were taken. For a given test number involving a specific surfactant, additional amounts of the same surfactant ` 10 were added to the same ninety gram gel sample and apparent `` viscosity was again measured. Viscosity readings were taken with the following quantities of surfactant present: 0.25 g., `b`~` 0.50 g., 0.75 g., 1.00 g., 1.50 g., 2.00 g. If there was only slight variation in the values of apparent viscosity, only 5 ~ . . .
~ readings were performed. Ordinarily 10 were performed.` If the .:
apparent viscosity appeared to be changing, further readings were taken. More specifically, if the numerical values of the ` viscosity readings were greater than 10 and there was less than -~ a 0.4 difference between the high and low values, then only 5 ~``` 20 readings were performed, as shown below:

Conditions under which only five viscosity readings were performed Average of Minimum Difference Between Viscosity Readings High and Low Values >10 - 0.4 -` 5-10 0.3 r~: .
2-5 0.2 ' <2 0.1 ~` Since the gels produced by the two batches of calcium soap curd - had different viscosities and different resistances to break up by the surfactants, several tests were performed using calcium gels prepared from each batch of calcium soap curd.

~ - 14 -.~, , , . . :
r "`; I ( 1056Z51 (^
,~ ¦ The test results are shown in Table I below for 30 tests.
, .~ . I TABLE I
.: e, ¦ Test NlBEffective In Gel Number Surfactant Nu~ber BreakuP?

¦ 1 Surfonic J-4 13.1 yes ~ 2 ---- ____ ___ ... . . 3 GAFAC RA-600 ---- yes 4 Triton X-100 13.5 poorly Triton X-114 12.4 no

6 Triton X-102 14.6 yes :-c~ 7 Tergitol 15-S-7 12.1 no ` ô Tergitol 15-S-5 10.5 no . ~.................. g Neodol 25-7 12.0 no ;. 10 Neodol 25-9 13.1 no .~ ~! 15 11 Neodol 25-12 14.4 yes ; 12 Polytergent SL-62 14.0 yes " ~ : 13 . Tergitol 15-S-12* 14.5 yes . . 14 Tergitol 15-S-40 lô.0 yes Tergitol 15-S-12 14.5 y~es .` 16 Trlton X-114 12.4 no . 17 50:50 mixture 14.5 yes . Trlton X-102 and Ne*odol 25-12 . lô Surfonic J-4 13.1 yes ; . 19 Surfonic J-4 13.1 yes ; . 20 Sur~onic J-4 13.1 no 21 Tergitol 15-S-12 14.5 no .. 22 Surronic J-4* I3.1 yes *
, ~' 1' 23 Triton X-100 15-5 yes . 24 Surfonic J-4* 13.1 yes Triton X-100 13.5 poorly .~ 30 ~ 26 Surronlc J-4* - 13.1 ;yes ~ ` 27 Surfonlc J-4 13.1 ye~
1~ ,. 28 Trlton X-100 13.5 ye8 ¦

:29 Sur~onic J-4 13.1 yes ~;i. 30 ~olytergent SL-42 13.0 yes A~ *Trade Marks - 15 ~ 1056251 TABLE I (Continued) .
- Test Apparent Yiscosity/(Centripoises) 20 At Each Number Measured Surfactant Weight (Grams) 0 0.25 0.50 0.751.00 1.251.502.00 ;- ~
- 1 43.1 ~100 31.4 10.02.3 1.20.80.5 ; 2 0.2 . .
-~ 3 43.8 >10034.4 4.11.4 0.70.50.4 ::;
4 44.0 >10054.1 36.024.2 7.93.51.8 5 40.6 ~10081.8 56.150.6 --54.538.1 ~ .
' ~ 10 6 50.9 >10040.9 19.43.1 1.50.80.7 - -~ ~ - 7 50.1 ~ 100~ 95 68.250.7 48.644.818.7 '~7'' 8 51.2 29.333.5 25.814.8 13.013.515.2 9 53.3 > 100> 10072.969.3 67.269.359.8 - .
,~ ~ 1045.3 79.2~ 92 68.137.8 36.330.012.7 ~.:,;.-., c` 1147.2 89.441.0 7.11.9 1.20.70.5 1251.9 79.522.3 3.11.3 0.80.50.4 1349.5 73.918.6 2.21.0 0.60.50.3 - .
14~100 ~.8 1.1 0.80.5 -- 0.4 0.5 15~100 25.42.1 0.70.5 -- 0.4 0.3 ` 20 16>100 ~ 10047.6 37.339.9 --19.511.0 ,. , '~` 17>100 37.86.7 1.91.0 1.00.60.6 18>100 32.06.0 1.50.7 -- 0.5 0.4 - -:.~
~, 1921.0 41.830.5 4.31.6 -- 0.6 0.3 :`' ?~ ' .....
2017.2 11.710.1 9.18.9 8.78.26.1 2114.1 12.011.5 11.411.4 9.79.07.0 ~: 2256.7 >10031.1 1.40.5 0.40.40.4 .: - .
, 2356.5 >10039.6 3.41.4 1.11.11.3 24>100 37.26.9 1.71.0 0.90.50.5 25>100 63.233.1 18.55.6 2.61.81.1 26>100 30.35.9 1.50.9 0.70.60.4 ,.......................................................................... .
'~` 27>100 1.1 0.5 0.50.5 -- 0.5 0.4 28~ 78 1.6 0.8 -- 0.6 -- 0.5 0.5 2960.8 5.1 1.3 0.70.6 -- 0.5 0.4 ;.~;
~ 30>100 38.4 15.6 2.81.4 1.00.70.5 : ~ .

~i 1056Z51 ,.

Notes For Table I:
1. Test 2 was a control involving only a viscosity measurement on deionized water (no gel formation).
2. Test 3 was performed using an anionic surfactant called Gafac RA-600 (made by GAF Corp.) which is effective in gel breakup as a reference for com-, :~
parison.
. .
~ 3. Sequesterant contained in 90 grams of test gel sample:
:~.
~, ~x Tests 1,3-19, 22-26, and 30 contained 2.24 grams of ;~ 10 MEA (monoethanolamine) in combination with 1.80 grams ;- of EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid). Tests 20 and 21 each contained 2.45 grams of Na4EDTA. Tests ; 18 and 19 additionally contained 0.06 and 0.58 grams `~ of NaCl, respectively. Tests 27 and 28 each contained ~ 2.24 grams of EN (98% active ethylenediamine) in com-~..
~ bination with 1.80 grams of EDTA. Test 29 contained . ................................. .
~- 2.44 grams of MEA in combination with 1.97 grams of NTA (nitrilotriacetic acid).
^ 4. Soap Curd contained in 90 grams of test gel sample:
;` 20 Tests 1,3-21, 26-28, and 30 contained 3.22 grams of ~` calcium soap curd. Tests 22 and 23 contained 3.22 grams of magnesium soap curd. Tests 24 and 25 con-tained mixture of 2.50 grams of calcium soap curd and 0.63 grams of magnesium soap curd (i.e. 4:1 ` calcium/magnesium ratio). Test 29 contained 3.07 .~
~- grams of calcium soap curd.

` The given weights of surfactant are added to 90 grams of test gel and the percentage of surfactant in each gel test ~; is as shown below:

~`~ 30 . .

., ;, . 1056Z5~
Weight of Surfactant Percentage of Surfactant 0.25 g. 0.278%
~,~ 0.50 g. 0.553%
0.75 g. 0.827 ~', 1.00 g. 1.10%
` 1.25 g. 1.37%
`; 1.50 g. 1.64%
.
, 2.00 g. 2.18%
~,~DISCUSSION
~ ,.~: .
~- 10 Since the break up of a gel is accompanied by a :.., decrease in viscosity, it was decided to use apparent (relative) ~ viscosity as the measured parameter. The first batch of calcium `r soap curd was used to prepare the calcium soap-EDTA gel in Tests ~ 1 to 13. All subsequent tests using calcium soap-EDTA gels were .~ ~
~ prepared from the second batch of calcium soap curd. Comparison ... .
~ of Tests 1 and 26 and also Tests 13 and 15 show that the gels ~, prepared from the second batch of calcium soap curd are easier to break up, which is due to the extreme difficulty in preparing `- gels of identical behavior from different samples of soap curd.
-``` 20 Table II below shows an unexpected correlation between gel breakup efficacy and HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) . j. .
number. A reading in Table I of 5 or less with 1 gram or less ~; surfactant is considered to be sufficiently low to indicate .; significant gel breakup.
:~j ' TABLE II
:"
HLB-Gel Breakup Correlation (Against Calcium Gels) ~; Test Number(s) Surfactant Surfactant Type HLB Efficacious 1, 26Surfonic J-4 Proprietary 13.1- Yes 12Polytergent SL-62 Proprietary 14.0 Yes Triton X-114 Octyl Phenol 12.4 No 4 Triton X-100 Octyl Phenol 13.5 ' Poor ;~ 6 Triton X-102 Octyl Phenol 14.6 Yes . .

~ ' 1056ZSl ,~................................. TABLE II IContinued) , _ Test Number(~s~ Surfactant Surfactant Type HLB Efficacious .:
` 8Tergitol 15-S-5 Linear Alcohol 10.5 No 7Tergitol 15-S-7 Linear Alcohol 12.1 No 13, 15 Tergitol 15-S-12 Linear Alcohol 14.5 Yes ` 14Tergitol 15-S-40Linear Alcohol 18.0 Yes ~ 9 Neodol 25-75econdary Alcohol 12.0 No `~ 10 Neodol 25-9Secondary Alcohol 13.1 No 11 Neodol 25-12Secondary Alcohol 14.4 Yes . ., ~ 10 30Polytergent SL-42Proprietary 13.0 Yes ., ~`~ As can be seen from Table II, all nonionic surfactants tested with HLB values of 14.0 or greater are effective at breaking up the calcium soap curd-EDTA salt gel; Triton X-100, ,.
~i at HLB 13.5, breaks up the gel poorly and surprisingly, Sur-: . .~
~ fonic J-4, at HLB value 13.1 is also effective at breaking the ~ .-.~ .
~; gel. From the results of the Tergitol series (see Tables I and ~:, II), one sees that the gel breakup propertyincreases with in-.
~^ creasing HLB number.

` Tests 22 and 25 confirm that these surfactants will , .~.~, ` 20 also break up~magnesium gels and magnesium-calcium gels. The i'~' mixed magnesium-calcium gels used in the test contain a 1:4 ~. :
;~ magnesium/calcium ratio. Typically, hard water contains from 1:3 to 1:4 magnesium/calcium ratios. Test 17 shows that mixture of effective surfactants are also effective but not synergistic.
Tests 18 and 19 show that in the presence of increasing quanti-ties of sodium ion, the gel break up ability decreases but is ~i' still sufficiently effective. However, Tests 20 and 21 show ` that if the sodium EDTA salt is used in place of an amine EDTA
salt, the surfactant will not sufficiently break up the gel.
.. . ~.
~ 30 Tests 27, 28 and 29 exemplify the effectiveness of using EN-EDTA
....
and MEA-NTA sequestrant salts in combination with nonionic sur-factants in the cleaning compositions. Tests 14, 15, 27, 28 and 29 show significant gel breakup using only 0.5 grams of surfactant.

, .

:` -- 19 --':

Claims (10)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A cleaning composition comprising:
(a) from about 1 to 5% by weight of a member selected from the group consisting of an ammonium, alkylamine, alkylenediamine or hydroxy-alkylamine salt of nitrilotriacetic acid, an alkylene polyamine polycarboxylic acid having the formula (HOOCCH2)2N[(CH2)xNCH2COOH]yCH2COOH
wherein the values of x and y may vary independently from 1 to 4, or mixtures thereof;
(b) at least about 0.75% by weight of at least one nonionic surfactant characterized as having an HLB number of at least about 13.5; and (c) up to about 98.25% by weight of water, wherein the alkyl moieties of said alkylamine and hydroxy-alkylamine and the alkylene moiety of said alkylenediamine have a chain length of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms and said composition is substantially free of sodium ions.

2. The composition of Claim 1 wherein said alkylamine is a mono-, di-, or trialkylamine and said hydroxy-alkylamine is a mono-, di- or trialkanolamine.

3. The composition of Claim 1 or 2 wherein said composition contains at least about 2% by weight of said member in (a), at least about 1% by weight of said nonionic surfactant, and up to about 97% by weight of water.

4. The composition of Claim 1 wherein said nonionic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of:
(a) ethoxylated linear primary alcohols selected from those having the formula -CmH2m+1O(CH2CH2O)nH, wherein m can vary from 12 to 15 and n is at least 12, and an additional ethoxylated linear primary alcohol characterized as being a clear liquid having an HLB number of 14, a freezing point of 1°C, a cloud point of 400°F, a pH of 6-8, and a specific gravity of 1.02 at 25°C;
(b) ethoxylated linear secondary alcohols having the formula , wherein the sum of m and p is 9 to 13 and n is at least 12; and (c) ethoxylated octyl phenols having the formula , wherein n is at least 9.

5. The composition of Claim 4 wherein said member is the monoethanolamine salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and said nonionic surfactant is selected from the group con-sisting of said additional ethoxylated linear primary alcohol having an HLB number of 14 of (a); an ethoxylated linear primary alcohol of (a) wherein n is 12 and said alcohol has an HLB number of 14.5; and an ethoxylated octyl phenol of (c) wherein n is 12 to 13 and said phenol has an HLB number of 14.6.

6. A cleaning composition comprising:
(a) from about 1 to 5% by weight of a member selected from the group consisting of an ammonium, alkylamine, alkylenediamine or hydroxy-alkylamine salt of nitrilotriacetic acid, an alkylene polyamine polycarboxylic acid having the formula (HOOCCH2)N[(CH2)xNCH2COOH]yCH2COOH
wherein the values of x and y may vary independently from 1 to 4, or mixtures thereof;
(b) at least about 0.5% by weight of at least one nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of:
(1) ethoxylated linear secondary alcohols having the formula , wherein the sum of m and p is 9 to 13 and said alcohol has an HLB number of 14.5 when n is 12 or an HLB number of 18 when n is 40;
(2) an ethoxylated linear primary alcohol cha-racterized as being a clear liquid having an HLB number of 13.1, a freezing point of 56-63°C, a flash point of 375°F, a pH of 5-7, a pour point of 23°F, and a specific gravity of 1.0072 at 20°C; and (3) an ethoxylated octyl phenol having the formula wherein said phenol has an HLB number of 13.5;

(c) up to about 98.5% by weight of water, wherein the alkyl moieties of said alkylamine and hydroxy-alkylamine and the alkylene moiety of said alkylene-diamine have a chain length of from 1 to 5 carbon atoms and said composition is substantially free of sodium ions.

7. The composition of Claim 6 wherein said alkylamine is a mono-, di-, or trialkylamine and said hydroxy-alkylamine is a mono-, di- or trialkanolamine.

8. The cleaning composition of Claim 6 wherein said member is the monoethanolamine salt of ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid, and said surfactant is that described in section (b)(2).

9. The cleaning composition of Claim 6 comprising 1%
by weight of the surfactant described in section (b)(2);
87.15% by weight of water; 3% by weight of monoethanolamine;
0.4% by weight of ethylenediamine; 3% by weight of ethylene-diaminetetraacetic acid; 0.5% by weight of an antimicrobial agent; 0.04% by weight of a wetting agent; 5% by weight of a solvent mixture consisting of 61.54% by weight of isopropanol and 38.46% by weight of butyl cellosolve; and 0.15% by weight of a perfume.

10. The cleaning composition of Claim 6, 8 or 9 additionally containing 0.01% by weight of 2-(4-thiazolyl)-benzimidazole as an antifungal agent, said wetting agent is a fluorocarbon, and said antimicrobial agent is a mixture of alkyl dimethyl- and alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chlorides.