EP0893490A2 - Nitrogen-free fabric softener - Google Patents

Abstract

The characteristic features in a liquid N-free textile softener comprising water, anionic surfactant(s) and fatty materials are that (a) the fatty material is present at 1-20 wt.% and comprises a fatty alcohol or a mono- or di-ester of a fatty acid with sorbitol, trimethylolpropane, neopentylglycol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, glycerin or polyglycerin; (b) the anionic surfactant is present at 0.2-5 wt.%; (c) the balance contains water or an aqueous solution of other additives; and (d) the softener is not in the form of a micro-emulsion.

Description

The invention is in the field of nitrogen-free fabric softeners, which are particularly are suitable for use in the rinse cycle of a washing program. In particular concerns the invention liquid fabric softener containing 1 to 20 wt .-% of a fabric softener Fat and anionic emulsifiers and optionally other ingredients contain.

Esterquats" zwar so vollständig biologisch abbaubar, wie es gewünscht wird, dennoch werden stickstofffreie Mittel vom Verbraucher als Alternative gewünscht.Fabric softener compositions for rinse bath finishing are widely described in the prior art. Typically, these compositions contain as the active ingredient a cationic quaternary ammonium compound (QAV) or an amine salt or mixtures of both, which is dispersed in water. For ecological reasons, the use of cationic surfactants is increasingly viewed critically by consumers. But also from an application point of view, cationic surfactant-based fabric softener compositions have some disadvantages. Due to their cationic character, they react with anionic substances to form salts, for example, and lose their softening effect. The incorporation of the cationic surfactants into the fabric softener is often difficult because they form poorly water-soluble to water-insoluble compounds and form emulsions that are difficult to stabilize. In addition, there are also new generations of cationic textile softeners, the so-called

Although esterquats "are as completely biodegradable as is desired, nitrogen-free agents are still desired by the consumer as an alternative.

Accordingly, there has been no lack of attempts to find textile softeners that not based on cationic surfactants. For example, textile softening effects are Tone is responsible for the use of the corresponding compounds in fabric softeners.

But also other substances that are not cationic and, if possible, nitrogen-free, are described in the prior art as textile softeners.

For example, European patent application EP-A-0 569 847 (HÜLS AG) discloses nitrogen-free active components for fabric softener formulations based on alkoxylated natural fats or oils (for example ethoxylated palm oil or skin fat) in combination with free fatty acids or mono- and / or diglycerides and their use as a fabric softener, these active components can also be used in combination with conventional nitrogen-containing softeners.

International patent application WO 95/34622 (Colgate) describes aqueous fabric softening emulsions which are largely free of cationic emulsifiers and fabric softeners and which contain 1 to 25% by weight of a pentaerythritol ester or a pentaerythritol oligomer or an alkoxylated pentaerythritol derivative as well as an additional 0.2 to 10% by weight .-% contain an anionic emulsifier from the group of alkali metal salts of fatty acids, diisotridecyl sulfosuccinate and diisodecyl sulfosuccinate.

Textile softening aqueous agents which preferably contain 1 to 25% by weight of a pentaerythritol ester or a pentaerythritol oligomer or an alkoxylated pentaerythritol derivative and 0.2 to 10% by weight of an emulsifier, for example diethylene glycol ether, are described in EP-A-0 494 769 (Colgate).

European patent application EP-A-0 530 959 (Colgate) also discloses textile plasticizers based on a pentaerythritol ester, pentaerythritol oligomer or alkoxylated pentaerythritol derivatives. Synthetic organic surfactants are used here as dispersants for the active substances.

Finally, US Pat. No. 5,599,473 (Colgate) describes a process for producing nitrogen-free fabric softener in which water, anionic surfactant (s) and fatty substance (s), which are referred to in this document as hydrophobic, liquid oxidized hydrocarbons, are mixed. Fatty acid polyol esters, fatty alcohols, fatty acids or fatty ethers are used as the oxidized hydrocarbons. The anionic surfactants are used in amounts between 2 and 30% by weight, the fatty substances in amounts between 2 and 40% by weight. Other ingredients are cosurfactants in amounts of 2 to 30% by weight and electrolytes. This fabric softener should necessarily be in the form of a microemulsion which is stabilized by anionic and cosurfactants and which requires a complex production process.

Problems with the nitrogen-free fabric softeners described in the prior art occur, in particular are too low a softness performance compared to conventional ones QAV-based fabric softeners and inadequate long-term stability of the Dispersions that lead to flocculation, phase separation or thickening.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of a nitrogen-free To provide fabric softener which is the softness performance of conventional QAV-based Medium reached and has a high storage stability, while still being light and should be able to be produced without great expenditure on equipment.

It has now been found that nitrogen-free fabric softener based on fatty substances and Anionic dispersants can be formulated to obtain agents that dilution with water and after storage even under different temperature conditions do not tend to flocculation, gel formation or phase separation.

a) den oder die Fettstoffe in Mengen von 1 bis 20 Gew.-% enthält und die Fettstoffe ausgewählt sind aus der Gruppe der Fettalkohole und der Mono- bzw. Diester von Fettsäuren mit Sorbitol, Trimethylolpropan, Neopentylglycol, Ethylenglycol, Polyethylenglycolen, Glycerin und Polyglycerinen,

b) das oder die Aniontenside in Mengen zwischen 0,2 und 5 Gew.-% enthält,

c) als Rest Wasser oder eine wäßrige Lösung weiterer Wirk- und Hilfsstoffe enthält und nicht als Mikroemulsion vorliegt.

The invention relates to a liquid nitrogen-free textile softener, containing water, anionic surfactant (s) and fatty substance (s), the

a) the or the fatty substances in amounts of 1 to 20 wt .-% and the fatty substances are selected from the group of fatty alcohols and the mono- or diesters of fatty acids with sorbitol, trimethylolpropane, neopentylglycol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycols, glycerol and polyglycerols ,

b) contains the anionic surfactant (s) in amounts between 0.2 and 5% by weight,

c) contains the remainder water or an aqueous solution of further active substances and auxiliary substances and is not present as a microemulsion.

In the context of this application, fatty substances a) from the group of fatty alcohols and fatty acid polyol esters are understood to mean liquid to solid substances from the group of fatty alcohols and the fatty acid esters of fatty acids with certain polyols at normal temperature (20 ° C.). For example, decanol, dodecanol, tetradecanol, pentadecanol, hexadecanol or octadecanol and mixtures of these alcohols are used as fatty alcohol. According to the invention, Guerbet alcohols and oxo alcohols, for example C _13-15 oxo alcohols or mixtures of C _12-18 alcohols with C _12-24 alcohols, can also be used without difficulty as fatty substances. However, it is of course also possible to use alcohol mixtures, for example those such as the C _16-18 alcohols prepared by Ziegler ethylene polymerization. Specific examples of alcohols which can be used as component a) are the above-mentioned alcohols and lauryl alcohol, palmityl and stearyl alcohol and mixtures thereof. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the fabric softener contains 1.5 to 15% by weight and in particular 2 to 10% by weight of a C _16-18 fatty alcohol as fat substance a).

The fatty acid polyol esters are mono- or diesters of fatty acids with certain polyols into consideration. The fatty acids esterified with the polyols are preferred saturated or unsaturated fatty acids with 12 to 18 carbon atoms, for example Lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid or stearic acid, preferably the technical resulting mixtures of the fatty acids are used, for example those of coconut, Acid mixtures derived from palm kernel or tallow fat. In particular acids or mixtures of acids with 16 to 18 carbon atoms such as tallow fatty acid are for esterification suitable with the polyhydric alcohols. As polyols with the above mentioned fatty acids are esterified come within the scope of the present invention Sorbitol, trimethylolpropane, neopentyl glycol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycols, glycerin and polyglycerols. In a further preferred embodiment of the In the present invention, the fabric softener contains as a fatty substance a) 1.5 to 15% by weight and in particular 2 to 10% by weight of a fatty acid polyol ester.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide that as the polyol, the is esterified with fatty acid (s), glycerin is used. As a result, they are nitrogen-free Textile plasticizers preferred, which as component a) one or more fatty substances from the Group of fatty acid glycerides included. Contain particularly preferred fabric softeners as component a) 1.5 to 15% by weight and in particular 2 to 10% by weight of a fatty acid monoglyceride.

The fatty substances are preferably selected from the group of the fatty acid glycerol esters of fatty acids with 12 to 22 carbon atoms and fatty alcohols with 8 to 28 carbon atoms and mixtures of these substances are selected. Examples of such preferred Fat substances used are glycerol monostearic acid esters or glycerol monopalmitic acid esters.

As a dispersant that disperses the fatty substance a) in the fabric softener, Within the scope of the present invention, anionic surface-active compounds in quantities between 0.2 to 5% by weight, based on the total average. This ensures Dispersant for the fact that the fatty substance is present in a sufficiently fine distribution without however being too emulsified. In this way, optimal winding on the Wash in the rinse cycle and thus ensure a high level of softness.

Anionic surfactants b) used are, for example, those of the sulfonate and sulfate type. Preferred surfactants of the sulfonate type are C _9-13- alkylbenzenesulfonates, olefin sulfonates, ie mixtures of alkene and hydroxyalkanesulfonates, and disulfonates such as are obtained, for example, from C _12-18 monoolefins with a terminal or internal double bond by sulfonating with gaseous sulfur trioxide and subsequent alkaline or acidic hydrolysis of the sulfonation products. Also suitable are alkanesulfonates obtained from C _12-18 alkanes, for example by sulfochlorination or sulfoxidation with subsequent hydrolysis or neutralization. The esters of α-sulfofatty acids (ester sulfonates), for example the α-sulfonated methyl esters of hydrogenated coconut, palm kernel or tallow fatty acids, are also suitable.

Other suitable anionic surfactants are sulfonated fatty acid glycerol esters. Among fatty acid glycerol esters the mono-, di- and triesters and their mixtures are to be understood as they in the production by esterification of a monoglycerin with 1 to 3 moles of fatty acid or obtained in the transesterification of triglycerides with 0.3 to 2 mol of glycerol. Preferred sulfated fatty acid glycerol esters are the sulfonation products of saturated Fatty acids with 6 to 22 carbon atoms, for example caproic acid, caprylic acid, Capric acid, myristic acid, lauric acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid or behenic acid.

As alk (en) yl sulfates are the alkali and especially the sodium salts of the sulfuric acid half esters of C ₁₂ -C ₁₈ fatty alcohols, for example from coconut oil alcohol, tallow fatty alcohol, lauryl, myristyl, cetyl or stearyl alcohol or the C ₁₀ -C ₂₀ oxo alcohols and those half-esters of secondary alcohols of this chain length are preferred. Also preferred are alk (en) yl sulfates of the chain length mentioned, which contain a synthetic, petrochemical-based straight-chain alkyl radical which have a degradation behavior similar to that of the adequate compounds based on oleochemical raw materials. The C ₁₂ -C ₁₆ alkyl sulfates and C ₁₂ -C ₁₅ alkyl sulfates as well as C ₁₄ -C ₁₅ alkyl sulfates are preferred from the point of view of washing technology. 2,3-Alkyl sulfates, which are produced, for example, according to US Pat . Nos . 3,234,258 or 5,075,041 and can be obtained as commercial products from the Shell Oil Company under the name DAN®, are also suitable anionic surfactants.

Other suitable anionic surfactants are also the salts of alkylsulfosuccinic acid, which are also referred to as sulfosuccinates or as sulfosuccinic acid esters and which are monoesters and / or diesters of sulfosuccinic acid with alcohols, preferably fatty alcohols and especially ethoxylated fatty alcohols. Preferred sulfosuccinates contain C _8-18 fatty alcohol radicals or mixtures thereof. Particularly preferred sulfosuccinates contain a fatty alcohol residue which is derived from ethoxylated fatty alcohols, which in themselves are nonionic surfactants (description see below). Again, sulfosuccinates whose fatty alcohol residues are derived from ethoxylated fatty alcohols with a narrow homolog distribution are particularly preferred. It is also possible to use alk (en) ylsuccinic acid with preferably 8 to 18 carbon atoms in the alk (en) yl chain or salts thereof.

Soaps are particularly suitable as further anionic surfactants. Are suitable saturated fatty acid soaps, such as the salts of lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, Stearic acid, hydrogenated erucic acid and behenic acid and in particular from natural Fatty acids, e.g. Coconut, palm kernel or tallow fatty acids, derived soap mixtures.

The anionic surfactants including the soaps can be in the form of their sodium, potassium or Ammonium salts and as soluble salts of organic bases, such as mono-, di- or Triethanolamine. The anionic surfactants are preferably in the form of their Sodium or potassium salts, especially in the form of the sodium salts.

A preferred nitrogen free liquid fabric softener according to the teachings of the present The invention contains, as anionic dispersant b), 0.2 to 5% by weight, preferably 0.3 to 4% by weight of an alkyl sulfate.

In addition to components a) and b), which alone in aqueous dispersion the agents according to the invention can give a complete fabric softener contain other ingredients that have application and / or aesthetic properties of the fabric softener continue to improve. Within the scope of the present invention contain preferred agents in addition to components a) and b) one or several substances from the group of electrolytes, non-aqueous solvents, pH adjusting agents, Fragrances, perfume carriers, fluorescent agents, dyes, hydrotopes, foam inhibitors, Anti-redeposition agents, thickeners, enzymes, optical brighteners, graying inhibitors, Opacifiers, anti-shrink agents, anti-crease agents, color transfer inhibitors, Wetting improvers, antimicrobial agents, germicides, fungicides, Antioxidants, corrosion inhibitors, antistatic agents, ironing aids, phobing and Impregnating agent, swelling and anti-slip agent as well as UV absorber.

A wide number of different salts can be used as electrolytes from the group of inorganic salts. Preferred cations are the alkali and alkaline earth metals, preferred anions are the halides and sulfates. From a production point of view, the use of NaCl or MgCl ₂ in the agents according to the invention is preferred.

Non-aqueous solvents which are used in the agents according to the invention can, for example, come from the group of mono- or polyhydric alcohols; Alkanolamines or glycol ethers are suitable, provided they are in the concentration range indicated are miscible with water. The solvents are preferably selected from ethanol, n- or i-propanol, butanols, glycol, propane or butanediol, glycerol, Diglycol, propyl or butyl diglycol, ethylene glycol methyl ether, ethylene glycol ethyl ether, Ethylene glycol propyl ether, etheylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, Diethylene glycol ethyl ether, propylene glycol methyl, ethyl or propyl ether, Dipropylene glycol methyl or ethyl ether, methoxy, ethoxy or butoxytriglycol, 1-butoxyethoxy-2-propanol, 3-methyl-3-methoxybutanol, propylene glycol t-butyl ether and Mixtures of these solvents. The above-mentioned alkanolamines such as mono-, In the context of the present invention, di- and triethanolamine are nitrogen-free Providing fabric softener, less preferred, can be used in the inventive Means are used, however, without their application properties to influence negatively.

In order to bring the pH of the agents according to the invention into the desired range, the use of pH adjusting agents may be indicated. All known ones can be used here Acids or alkalis, provided that their use does not result from application technology or ecological reasons or for reasons of consumer protection. Usually the amount of these adjusting agents exceeds 1% by weight of the total formulation Not.

Dyes and fragrances are added to the agents according to the invention in order to improve the aesthetic impression of the products and, in addition to the softness, give the consumer a visual and sensory experience to provide a typical and distinctive product. Perfume oils or fragrances can be used as individual fragrance compounds, for example the synthetic products of the ester, ether, aldehyde, ketone, alcohol and hydrocarbon type. Fragrance compounds of the ester type are, for example, benzyl acetate, phenoxyethyl isobutyrate , p-tert-Butylcyclohexylacetat, Linalylacetat, Dimethylbenzyl-Carbinylacetat, Phenylethylacetat, Linalylbenzoat, Benzylformiat, Ethylmethylphenyl-Glycinat, Allylcyclohexylpropionat, Styrallylpropionat and Benzylsalicylat. Atoms, citral, citronellal, citronellyloxyacetaldehyde, cyclamenaldehyde, hydroxycitronellal, lilial and bourgeonal, for the ketones, for example the jonones, ∝-isomethylionone and methyl cedryl ketone, for the alcohols anethole, citronellol, eugenol, geraniol, linalool, and phenpylol alcohol Hydrocarbons g Mainly hear the terpenes like limes and pinene. However, preference is given to using mixtures of different fragrances which together produce an appealing fragrance. Perfume oils of this type can also contain natural fragrance mixtures such as are obtainable from plant sources, for example pine, citrus, jasmine, patchouly, rose or ylang-ylang oil. Also suitable are muscatel, sage oil, chamomile oil, clove oil, lemon balm oil, mint oil, cinnamon leaf oil, linden blossom oil, juniper berry oil, vetiver oil, olibanum oil, galbanum oil and labdanum oil as well as orange blossom oil, neroliol, orange peel oil and sandalwood oil.

The dye content of the plasticizers according to the invention is usually lower 0.01% by weight, while fragrances make up up to 2% by weight of the total formulation can.

The fragrances can be incorporated directly into the agents according to the invention But it can also be advantageous to apply the fragrances to carriers that increase the adhesion of the Reinforcing perfumes on the laundry and slower fragrance release for long-lasting The scent of the textiles. Such carrier materials have, for example Cyclodextrins have proven themselves, with the cyclodextrin-perfume complexes additionally can be coated with other auxiliaries.

In order to improve the aesthetic impression of the agents according to the invention, they can can be colored with suitable dyes. Preferred dyes, the selection of which Specialist poses no difficulty, has a high storage stability and insensitivity compared to the other ingredients of the agents and against light and none pronounced substantivity towards textile fibers so as not to stain them.

As foam inhibitors that can be used in the agents according to the invention, For example, soaps, paraffins or silicone oils come into consideration, which if necessary can be applied to carrier materials. Suitable anti-redeposition agents that also referred to as soil repellents are, for example, nonionic cellulose ethers such as methyl cellulose and methyl hydroxypropyl cellulose containing methoxy groups from 15 to 30% by weight and of hydroxypropyl groups from 1 to 15% by weight, in each case based on the nonionic cellulose ether and those from the prior art known polymers of phthalic acid and / or terephthalic acid or of their derivatives, in particular polymers of ethylene terephthalates and / or polyethylene glycol terephthalates or anionically and / or nonionically modified derivatives of this. Particularly preferred of these are the sulfonated derivatives of phthalic acid and Terephthalic acid polymers.

Thickeners can be added to the agents according to the invention in order to improve the viscosity to increase, or to improve the thixotropy properties of gels. Thickener are often referred to as swelling agents and are mostly organic high-molecular substances that can absorb liquids (mostly water), swell and eventually change to viscous real or colloidal solutions. Examples for such agents are polyacrylic acids or acrylic acid copolymers such as those are marketed by Goodrich under the trade name Carbopol®.

Enzymes include, in particular, those from the classes of hydrolases such as proteases, Esterases, lipases or lipolytic enzymes, amylases, cellulases or other glycosyl hydrolases and mixtures of the enzymes mentioned in question. All of these hydrolases wear in the laundry to remove stains such as protein, fat or starchy stains and graying. Cellulases and other glycosyl hydrolases can also be removed by removing pilling and microfibrils Color preservation and increase the softness of the textile. For bleaching or Color transfer inhibition can also be used oxireductases. Especially are well suited from bacterial strains or fungi such as Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Streptomyceus griseus and Humicola insolens obtained enzymatic active substances. Proteases of the subtilisin type and in particular proteases which are preferred are obtained from Bacillus lentus. There are enzyme mixtures, for example from protease and amylase or protease and lipase or lipolytic Enzymes or protease and cellulase or from cellulase and lipase or lipolytic acting enzymes or from protease, amylase and lipase or lipolytically acting Enzymes or protease, lipase or lipolytically acting enzymes and cellulase, in particular however, protease and / or lipase-containing mixtures or mixtures with lipolytic acting enzymes of particular interest. Examples of such lipolytic acting enzymes are the well-known cutinases. Also have peroxidases or oxidases proved to be suitable in some cases. Suitable amylases include in particular α-amylases, iso-amylases, pullulanases and pectinases. As cellulases preferably cellobiohydrolases, endoglucanases and β-glucosidases, which are also cellobiases are called, or mixtures of these are used. Because there are different types of cellulase can distinguish by their CMCase and Avicelase activities targeted mixtures of the cellulases the desired activities can be set.

The enzymes can be adsorbed on carriers or embedded in coating substances in order to protect them against premature decomposition. The proportion of enzymes, enzyme mixtures or enzyme granules can, for example, about 0.1 to 5 wt .-%, preferably 0.12 to be about 2% by weight.

Optical brighteners (so-called White toners ") can be added to the agents according to the invention in order to eliminate graying and yellowing of the treated textiles. These substances absorb onto the fiber and bring about a brightening and feigned bleaching effect by converting invisible ultraviolet radiation into visible longer-wave light, from sunlight absorbed ultraviolet light is emitted as a slightly bluish fluorescence and results in pure white with the yellow tone of the grayed or yellowed laundry. Suitable compounds come, for example, from the substance classes of 4,4'-diamino-2,2'-stilbenedisulfonic acids (flavonic acids), 4, 4'-distyryl-biphenyls, methylumbelliferones, coumarins, dihydroquinolinones, 1,3-diarylpyrazolines, naphthalic imides, benzoxazole, benzisoxazole and benzimidazole systems as well as the pyrene derivatives substituted by heterocycles. The optical brighteners are usually in amounts between 0.1 and 0 , 3 wt .-%, based on the fer funds used.

Graying inhibitors have the task of removing the dirt detached from the fiber in the Keep the liquor suspended and thus prevent the dirt from re-opening. Water-soluble colloids of mostly organic nature are suitable for this purpose, for example the water-soluble salts of polymeric carboxylic acids, glue, gelatin, salts of ether sulfonic acids the starch or cellulose or salts of acidic sulfuric acid esters of cellulose or strength. Water-soluble polyamides containing acidic groups are also suitable for suitable for this purpose, but less preferred because of its nitrogen content. Farther soluble starch preparations and other starch products than those mentioned above use, e.g. degraded starch, aldehyde starches, etc. Also polyvinyl pyrrolidone is useful. However, cellulose ethers such as carboxymethyl cellulose are preferred (Na salt), methyl cellulose, hydroxyalkyl cellulose and mixed ethers such as methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, Methyl hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl carboxymethyl cellulose and their mixtures in amounts of 0.1 to 5 wt .-%, based on the agent used

Since textile fabrics, in particular from rayon, rayon, cotton and their mixtures, can tend to crease because the individual fibers prevent bending, kinking, Pressing and squeezing across the direction of the fibers are sensitive, the inventive Agents contain synthetic anti-crease agents. These include, for example synthetic products based on fatty acids, fatty acid esters. Fatty acid amides, -alkyl esters, -alkylolamides or fatty alcohols, mostly with ethylene oxide are implemented, or products based on lecithin or modified phosphoric acid esters.

To control microorganisms, the agents according to the invention can be antimicrobial Contain active ingredients. A distinction is made here depending on the antimicrobial spectrum and mechanism of action between bacteriostatics and bactericides, fungistatics and Fungicides, etc. Important substances from these groups are, for example, benzalkonium chlorides, which because of their nitrogen content in the context of the present invention are less preferred. Preferred compounds in the context of the present Examples include alkylarlyl sulfonates, halophenols and phenol mercuric acetate, these compounds also being dispensed with entirely in the agents according to the invention can be.

To unwanted, caused by oxygen and other oxidative processes Prevent changes to the agents and / or the treated textiles which contain antioxidants. This connection class includes, for example substituted phenols, hydroquinones, pyrocatechols and aromatic amines and organic Sulfides, polysulfides, dithiocarbamates, phosphites and phosphonates.

An increased wearing comfort can result from the additional use of antistaics, which are additionally added to the agents according to the invention. Antistatic agents increase the surface conductivity and thus enable the flow of charges that have formed to improve. External antistatic agents are generally substances with at least one hydrophilic molecular ligand and give a more or less hygroscopic film on the surfaces. These mostly surface-active antistatic agents can be divided into nitrogen-containing (amines, amides, quaternary ammonium compounds), phosphorus-containing (phosphoric acid esters) and sulfur-containing (alkyl sulfonates, alkyl sulfates) antistatic agents. External antistatic agents are described, for example, in patent applications FR 1,156,513, GB 873 214 and GB 839 407 . The lauryl (or stearyl) dimethylbenzylammonium chlorides disclosed here are suitable as antistatic agents for textiles or as an additive to detergents, an additional finishing effect being achieved.

To improve the water absorption capacity, the rewettability of the treated Textiles and to facilitate ironing of the treated textiles can be in the agents according to the invention, for example silicone derivatives. This additionally improve the rinsing behavior of the agents according to the invention through their foam-inhibiting properties. Preferred silicone derivatives are, for example, polydialkyl or alkylarylsiloxanes in which the alkyl groups have one to five carbon atoms and are fully or partially fluorinated. Preferred silicones are polydimethylsiloxanes, which may be derivatized and then amino functional or quaternized are or have Si-OH, Si-H and / or Si-Cl bonds. The viscosities the preferred silicones are between 100 and 100,000 centistokes at 25 ° C, wherein the silicones in amounts between 0.05 and 5 wt .-%, based on the total Means can be used.

Finally, the agents according to the invention can also contain UV absorbers which act on the treated textiles and improve the lightfastness of the fibers. Links, which have these desired properties are, for example, those by radiation-free deactivation of active compounds and derivatives of benzophenone with substituents in the 2- and / or 4-position. Substituted benzotriazoles are also phenyl-substituted acrylates (cinnamic acid derivatives) in the 3-position, optionally with Cyano groups in the 2-position, salicylates, organic Ni complexes and natural products such as Umbelliferon and the body's own urocanoic acid are suitable.

To achieve optimal application properties and the products To protect against germ infestation, it can be beneficial to preserve the products to add. An infestation of the textile plasticizers according to the invention by microorganisms can be prevented by using commercially available preservatives.

In addition to the anionic dispersants, the agents according to the invention can contain non-ionic surfactants. Nonionic surfactants can be used in certain formulations contribute to an increased effectiveness of the plasticizers, but are according to the invention not mandatory.

The nonionic surfactants used are preferably alkoxylated, advantageously ethoxylated, in particular primary alcohols having preferably 8 to 18 carbon atoms and an average of 1 to 12 moles of ethylene oxide (EO) per mole of alcohol, in which the alcohol radical can be linear or preferably methyl-branched in the 2-position or may contain linear and methyl-branched radicals in the mixture, as are usually present in oxo alcohol radicals. However, alcohol ethoxylates with linear residues of alcohols of native origin with 12 to 18 carbon atoms, for example from coconut, palm, tallow fat or oleyl alcohol, and an average of 2 to 8 EO per mole of alcohol are particularly preferred. The preferred ethoxylated alcohols include, for example, C _12-14 alcohols with 3 EO or 4 EO, C _9-11 alcohol with 7 EO, C _13-15 alcohols with 3 EO, 5 EO, 7 EO or 8 EO, C _12-18 alcohols with 3 EO, 5 EO or 7 EO and mixtures thereof, such as mixtures of C _12-14 alcohol with 3 EO and C _12-18 alcohol with 5 EO. The degrees of ethoxylation given represent statistical averages, which can be an integer or a fraction for a specific product. Preferred alcohol ethoxylates have a narrow homolog distribution (narrow range ethoxylates, NRE). In addition to these nonionic surfactants, fatty alcohols with more than 12 EO can also be used. Examples include tallow fatty alcohol with 14 EO, 25 EO, 30 EO or 40 EO.

In addition, alkyl glycosides of the general formula RO (G) _x can also be used as further nonionic surfactants, in which R denotes a primary straight-chain or methyl-branched, in particular methyl-branched aliphatic radical having 8 to 22, preferably 12 to 18, C atoms and G is the symbol which stands for a glycose unit with 5 or 6 carbon atoms, preferably for glucose. The degree of oligomerization x, which indicates the distribution of monoglycosides and oligoglycosides, is any number between 1 and 10; x is preferably 1.2 to 1.4.

Another class of preferably used nonionic surfactants, which are used either as the sole nonionic surfactant or in combination with other nonionic surfactants, are alkoxylated, preferably ethoxylated or ethoxylated and propoxylated, fatty acid alkyl esters, preferably with 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, in particular fatty acid methyl esters, as they are are described, for example, in Japanese patent application JP 58/217598 or which are preferably produced by the process described in international patent application WO-A-90/13533 (Henkel).

Also nonionic surfactants of the amine oxide type, for example N-cocoalkyl-N, N-dimethylamine oxide and N-tallow alkyl-N, N-dihydroxyethylamine oxide, and the fatty acid alkanolamides can be suitable, but are due to their nitrogen content within the scope of present invention is not preferred. The amount of these nonionic surfactants is preferably not more than that of the ethoxylated fatty alcohols, especially not more than half of it.

in der RCO für einen aliphatischen Acylrest mit 6 bis 22 Kohlenstoffatomen, R¹ für Wasserstoff, einen Alkyl- oder Hydroxyalkylrest mit 1 bis 4 Kohlenstoffatomen und [Z] für einen linearen oder verzweigten Polyhydroxyalkylrest mit 3 bis 10 Kohlenstoffatomen und 3 bis 10 Hydroxylgruppen steht. Bei den Polyhydroxyfettsäureamiden handelt es sich um bekannte Stoffe, die üblicherweise durch reduktive Aminierung eines reduzierenden Zuckers mit Ammoniak, einem Alkylamin oder einem Alkanolamin und nachfolgende Acylierung mit einer Fettsäure, einem Fettsäurealkylester oder einem Fettsäurechlorid erhalten werden können. Other suitable surfactants, which are less preferred because of their nitrogen content, are polyhydroxy fatty acid amides of the formula (I),

in which RCO stands for an aliphatic acyl radical with 6 to 22 carbon atoms, R ¹ for hydrogen, an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl radical with 1 to 4 carbon atoms and [Z] for a linear or branched polyhydroxyalkyl radical with 3 to 10 carbon atoms and 3 to 10 hydroxyl groups. The polyhydroxy fatty acid amides are known substances which can usually be obtained by reductive amination of a reducing sugar with ammonia, an alkylamine or an alkanolamine and subsequent acylation with a fatty acid, a fatty acid alkyl ester or a fatty acid chloride.

in der R für einen linearen oder verzweigten Alkyl- oder Alkenylrest mit 7 bis 12 Kohlenstoffatomen, R¹ für einen linearen, verzweigten oder cyclischen Alkylrest oder einen Arylrest mit 2 bis 8 Kohlenstoffatomen und R² für einen linearen, verzweigten oder cyclischen Alkylrest oder einen Arylrest oder einen Oxy-Alkylrest mit 1 bis 8 Kohlenstoffatomen steht, wobei C_1-4-Alkyl- oder Phenylreste bevorzugt sind und [Z] für einen linearen Polyhydroxyalkylrest steht, dessen Alkylkette mit mindestens zwei Hydroxylgruppen substituiert ist, oder alkoxylierte, vorzugsweise ethoxylierte oder Propxylierte Derivate dieses Restes.The group of polyhydroxy fatty acid amides also includes compounds of the formula (II)

in which R represents a linear or branched alkyl or alkenyl radical having 7 to 12 carbon atoms, R ^{1 represents} a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl radical or an aryl radical having 2 to 8 carbon atoms and R ^{2 represents} a linear, branched or cyclic alkyl radical or an aryl radical or an oxyalkyl radical having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, C _1-4 alkyl or phenyl radicals being preferred and [Z] being a linear polyhydroxyalkyl radical whose alkyl chain is substituted by at least two hydroxyl groups, or alkoxylated, preferably ethoxylated or propylated Derivatives of this rest.

[Z] is preferably obtained by reductive amination of a reduced sugar, for example glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, galactose, mannose or xylose. The N-alkoxy- or N-aryloxy-substituted compounds can then be converted, for example according to the teaching of international application WO-A-95/07331 (Procter & Gamble) by reaction with fatty acid methyl esters in the presence of an alkoxide as catalyst into the desired polyhydroxy fatty acid amides.

Preferred textile plasticizers contain 0.1 to 0.1 in addition to components a) and b) 5% by weight of one or more nonionic surfactants.

Examples

Agents E1 to E9 according to the invention were prepared, the composition of which is given in Table 1. For comparison, comparative examples V1 to V3 were prepared which contained a pentaerythritol ester not according to the invention as plasticizer. V4 was included in the test series as a conventional fabric softener based on quaternary nitrogen-containing compounds. Table 1 also shows the compositions of Comparative Examples V1 to V4.

The detergents were used in the rinse cycle and the textiles treated with them were rated with grades by at least 5 people after drying by an expert panel. The grades result from an average of at least 3 individual determinations, whereby the classification between the two standards to be determined results in 0 (rinse cycle with tap water) and 6 (textile equipped with 3 g distearyldimethylammonium chloride per kg of dry laundry).
Table 2 shows the grades of the agents according to the invention and the comparative examples:

Table 2 shows that the agents according to the invention are the comparative agents based on pentaerythritol esters far surpass and in terms of the softness performance of conventional, esterquat-based Reach or even exceed fabric softener (E5).

Claims (7)

Liquid nitrogen-free fabric softener, containing water, anionic surfactant (s) and fatty substance (s), characterized in that it a) the or the fatty substances in amounts of 1 to 20 wt .-% and the fatty substances are selected from the group of fatty alcohols and the mono- or diesters of fatty acids with sorbitol, trimethylolpropane, neopentylglycol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycols, glycerol and polyglycerols , b) contains the anionic surfactant (s) in amounts between 0.2 and 5% by weight, c) contains the remainder water or an aqueous solution of further active substances and auxiliary substances and is not present as a microemulsion. Nitrogen-free, liquid fabric softener according to claim 1, characterized in that that as fat a) 1.5 to 15 wt .-% and in particular 2 to 10 wt .-% contains a fatty acid polyol ester. Nitrogen-free, liquid fabric softener according to claim 1, characterized in that that he as fat a) one or more fatty substances from the group of Contains fatty acid glycerides. Nitrogen-free, liquid textile softener according to Claim 1, characterized in that it contains 1.5 to 15% by weight and in particular 2 to 10% by weight of a C _16-18 fatty alcohol as fat substance a). Nitrogen-free, liquid fabric softener according to claim 1, characterized in that that as fat a) 1.5 to 15 wt .-% and in particular 2 to 10 wt .-% contains a fatty acid monoglyceride. Nitrogen-free, liquid textile softener according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is an anionic dispersant b) 0.3 to 4% by weight contains an alkyl sulfate. Nitrogen-free, liquid textile softener according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it contains 0.1 to 5 in addition to components a) and b) % By weight of one or more nonionic surfactants.