Detergent compositions

Claim 2

A detergent additive composition in particulate form characterised by: a) a storage-sensitive detergent additive material releasably enclosed within b) a water-soluble glassy matrix of amorphous phosphate having the general formula I; wherein M is hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium or a substituted ammonium groups, y has a value in the range from 2 to 50, and the ratio x:y is from 0.7:1 to 1.7:1.

Claim 3

A composition according to Claim 1 characterised in that the storage-sensitive detergent additive material is a unifunctional or multifunctional material selected from photoactivators, fluorescers, bleaching auxiliaries, dyes, perfumes, germicides, enzymes and fabric conditioners.

Claim 4

A composition according to Claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the storage-sensitive detergent additive material is a multifunctional photoactivator/ dye which is a porphine having the general formula II: wherein each X is (=N-) or (=CY-), and the total number of (= N -) groups is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; wherein each Y, independently, is hydrogen or meso substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl, aryl, alkaryl or heteroaryl; wherein each R, independently, is hydrogen or pyrrole substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl, aryl, alkaryl or heteroraryl, or wherein adjacent pairs of R's are joined together with ortho-arylene groups to form pyrrole substituted alicyclic or heterocyclic rings; wherein A is 2(H) atoms bonded to diagonally opposite nitrogen atoms, or Zn(II), Cd(II), Mg (II), Ca (II) , A1 (III) , Sc (III) , or Sn(IV); wherein B is an anionic, nonionic or cationic solubilizing group substituted into Y or R; wherein M is a counterion to the solubilizing groups; and wherein s is the number of solubilizing groups; wherein, when B is cationic, M is an anion and s is from 1 to 8; when B is nonionic, B is polyethoxylate, M is zero, s is from 1 to 8, and the number of condensed ethylene oxide molecules per porphine molecule is from 8 to 50; when B is anionic and proximate, M is cationic and s is from 3 to 8; when B is anionic and remote, M is catiohic and s is from 2 to 8; and when B is sulphonate the number of sulphonate groups is no greater than the number of aromatic and heterocyclic substituent groups.

Claim 5

A composition according to Claim 3 charac.terised in that the porphine is selected from zinc phthalocyanine tri-and tetra-sulphonates and mixtures thereof.

Claim 6

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 4 characterised in that the amorphous phosphate has a y value in the range from 3 to 30, preferably 6 to 15, and an x:y ratio in the range from 0.85 to 1.5, preferably 1 to 1.3.

Claim 7

A composition according to any preceding claim. characterised in that the amorphous phosphate has a dissolution rate in distilled water at 25 0 C such that the time for 90% dissolution of the phosphate, in the form of particles of seive size thru' 20; on 30# mesh, is in the range from 5 minutes to 2 hours, preferably from 8 minutes to 20 minutes.

Claim 8

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 6 characterised in that the storage-sensitive detergent additive is in intimate mixture with a hydratable water-soluble crystalline salt, the intimate mixture being releasably enclosed within a substantially continuous glassy matrix of amorphous phosphate material having the general formula I.

Claim 9

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 7 for addition to a detergent composition comprising a nonionic surfactant characterised in that the storage-sensitive detergent additive is a porphine of general formula II and wherein the rate of bleed of said porphine from said particulate detergent additive composition into a mixed solvent system containing the nonionic surfactant and water in a 100:6 ratio at 40°C, is less by a factor of at least 3 than the rate for the corresponding additive composition free of amorphous phosphate.

Claim 11

A method according to Claim 9 characterised by spraying an aqueous solution comprising the amorphous phosphate onto moving granules of a mixture of the storage-sensitive detergent additive material and a hydratable water-soluble salt, thereby enrobing the additive material with a continuous glassy matrix of the amorphous phosphate.

Claim 12

A granular detergent composition characterised by the addition of the detergent additive composition of any one of claims 1 to 8 or made by the method of claims 9 or 10.

Claim 13

A granular detergent composition according to Claim 11 characterised by:- (a) from 40% to 87.9% of spray-dried base powder comprising i) from 1% to 20% of organic surfactant selected from anionic, zwitterionic and ampholytic surfactants and mixtures thereof, ii) from 5% to 81.9% of detergency builder, and iii) from 5% to 18% moisture, (b) from 0.1% to 20% of the detergent additive composition, and (c) from 2% to 25% of ethoxylated nonionic surfactant in intimate mixture with the spray-dried base powder and detergent additive composition.