Bleaching compositions

Claim 2

A bleaching composition comprising: (a) a peroxycarboxylic acid or salt thereof; and (b) an aromatic sulfonyl halide bleach activator; wherein the molar ratio of each potential and actual peroxycarboxyl group of (a) to each sulfonyl group that can potentially generate acyl persulfonate is from 10 to 0.05.

Claim 3

A composition according to claim 1 wherein the peroxycarboxylic acid or salt thereof has the general formula: wherein R is selected frcm H, a linear or branched alkyl or alkylene group containing from 1 to 18 carbon atoms, a cyclic alkyl or alkylene group containing from 3 to 18 carbon atoms, an aryl group, an aromatic heterocyclic group, a polyarylene group consisting of 2 or more annelated benzenoid rings and groups in which 2 or more aryl arylene substituents are covalently attached, M is H or a cation which provides water solubility or dispersibility to the peroxycarbaxylic acid and r is from 1 to the total number of hydrogen atoms cn R ; and the aromatic sulfonyl halide bleach activator has the general formula: wherein each Y is selected fran fluorine, chlorine, bromine and any group which provides an anionic moiety in aqueous solution wherein each n is from 0 to 12 and each n is from 0 to 18, E is selected from an aryl or arylene group, an aromatic heterocyclic group, a polyarylene group consisting of two or more annelated benzenoid rings and groups in which two or more aryl arylene substituents are covalently attached, Q is chlorine, fluorine, or bromine, and each n 3 is from 1 to 3.

Claim 4

A composition according to either one of claims 2 and 3 wherein the molar ratio of each potential and actual peroxycarboxylate group of (a) to each sulfonyl group that can potentially generate acyl persulfonate is from 1 to 0.3.

Claim 5

A composition according to any one of claims 1-3 wherein the arcmatic sulfonyl halide bleach activator is selected from :

Claim 6

A composition according to any one of claims 1-4 wherein the peroxycarboxylic acid or salt thereof has the general formula: wherein A is fluorine, chlorine, brcmine, or -NO 2 , M is selected from H, magnesium, sodium and potassium, T is an alkyl group containing from 5 to 18 carbon atoms, r is 1 or 2 and the molar ratio of each potential and actual peroxycarboxyl group of (a) to each sulfonyl group that can potentially generate acyl persulfonate is from 1 to 0.7.

Claim 7

A bleaching composition comprising: (a) a peroxygen bleaching compound capable of yielding hydrogen peroxide in an aqueous solution; (b) a bleach activator having the general formula: wherein R is selected from H, a linear or branched alkyl or alkylene group containing from 1 to 18 carbon atoms, a cyclic alkyl or alkylene group containing from 3 to 18 carbon atoms, an aryl group, an aromatic heterocyclic group, a polyarylene group consisting of 2 or more annelated benzenoid rings and groups in which 2 or more aryl arylene substituents are covalently attached, and L is a leaving group, wherein the conjugate acid of the anion formed on L has a pKa in the range of from 4 to 13; wherein the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide yielded by (a) to (b) is from 20 to 0.1; (c) an arcmatic sulfonyl halide bleach activator having the general formula: wherein each Y is selected fran: -C n F 2n+1 , fluorine, chlorine, or bromine and any group which provides an anionic moiety in aqueous solution wherein each n is from 0 to 12 and each n 2 is from 0 to 18, E is selected from an aryl or arylene group, an aromatic heterocyclic group, a polyarylene group consisting of two or more annelated benzenoid rings and groups in which two or more aryl or arylene substituents are covalently attached, Q is fluorine, chlorine, or bromine, and each n 3 is from 1 to 3; wherein the molar ratio of each potential peroxycarboxyl group formed by (a) + (b) to each sulfonyl group that can potentially generate an acyl persulfonate is from 10 to 0.05.

Claim 8

A bleaching composition comprising: (a) a peroxygen bleaching compound capable of yielding hydrogen peroxide in an aqueous solution; (b) a bleach activator having the general formula: wherein R is selected from H, a linear or branched alkyl or alkylene group containing from 1 to 18 carbon atoms, a cyclic alkyl or alkylene group containing from 3 to 18 carbon atoms, an aryl group, an aromatic heterocyclic group, a polyarylene group consisting of 2 or more annelated benzenoid rings and groups in which 2 or more aryl arylene substituents are covalently attached, and L is a leaving group, wherein the conjugate acid of the anion formed on L has a pKa in the range of from 4 to 13; wherein the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide yielded by (a) to (b) is from 20 to 0.1; (c) an arcmatic sulfonyl halide bleach activator having the general formula: wherein each Y is selected fran: -C n F 2n+1 , fluorine, chlorine, or bromine and any group which provides an anionic moiety in aqueous solution wherein each n is from 0 to 12 and each n 2 is from 0 to 18, E is selected from an aryl or arylene group, an aromatic heterocyclic group, a polyarylene group consisting of two or more annelated benzenoid rings and groups in which two or more aryl or arylene substituents are covalently attached, Q is fluorine, chlorine, or bromine, and each n 3 is from 1 to 3; wherein the molar ratio of each potential peroxycarboxyl group formed by (a) + (b) to each sulfonyl group that can potentially generate an acyl persulfonate is from 10 to 0.05.

Claim 9

A composition according to claim 6 wherein (a) is selected from from sodiun perborate monohydrate, sodium perborate tetrahydrate sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate, sodium pyrophosphate peroxyhydrate, urea peroxyhydrate, sodium peroxide and mixtures thereof; L is a leaving group, wherein the conjugate acid of the anion formed on L has a pKa in the range of from 8 to 11; (c) is selected from: the molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide yielded by (a) to (b) is from 3 to 1 and the molar ratio of each potential peroxycarboxyl group formed by (a) + (b) to each sulfonyl group that can potentially generate acyl persulfonate is from 1 to 0.3.

Claim 10

A composition of claim 9 wherein according to either one of claims 6 & 7; L is selected from: wherein R is as defined above, R is an alkyl chain containing from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, R 3 is H or R 2 , and Z is H or a solubilizing group, and the molar ratio of each potential peroxycarboxyl group formed by (a) + (b) to each sulfonyl group that can potentially generate an acyl persulfonate is from 1 to 0.7.

Claim 11

A bleaching composition comprising: (a) an organic peroxide compound having the general formula: wherein each R is selected from H, a linear or branched alkyl or alkylene group containing frcm 1 to 18 carbon atoms, a cyclic alkyl or alkylene group containing from 3 to 18 carbon atoms, an aryl group, an aromatic heterocyclic group, a polyarylene group consisting of 2 or more annelated benzenoid rings and groups in which 2 or more aryl or arylene substituents are covalently attached; and (b) an aromatic sulfonyl halide bleach activator having the general formula: wherein each Y is selected from: -C n F 2n+1 , fluorine, chlorine, or bromine and any group which provides an anionic moiety in aqueous solution wherein each n is from 0 to 12 and each n 2 is fran 0 to 18, E is selected from an aryl arylene group, an aromatic heterocyclic group, a polyarylene group consisting of two or more annelated benzenoid rings and groups in which two or more aryl or arylene substituents are covalently attached, Q is a halogen and each n 3 is from 1 to 3; wherein the molar ratio of each potential carboxyl group formed by (a) to each sulfonyl group that can potentially generate acyl persulfonate is from 10 to 0.05.

Claim 12

A bleaching composition comprising: (a) an organic peroxide compound having the general formula: wherein each R is selected from H, a linear or branched alkyl or alkylene group containing frcm 1 to 18 carbon atoms, a cyclic alkyl or alkylene group containing from 3 to 18 carbon atoms, an aryl group, an aromatic heterocyclic group, a polyarylene group consisting of 2 or more annelated benzenoid rings and groups in which 2 or more aryl or arylene substituents are covalently attached; and (b) an aromatic sulfonyl halide bleach activator having the general formula: wherein each Y is selected from: -C n F 2n+1 , fluorine, chlorine, or bromine and any group which provides an anionic moiety in aqueous solution wherein each n is from 0 to 12 and each n 2 is fran 0 to 18, E is selected from an aryl arylene group, an aromatic heterocyclic group, a polyarylene group consisting of two or more annelated benzenoid rings and groups in which two or more aryl or arylene substituents are covalently attached, Q is a halogen and each n 3 is from 1 to 3; wherein the molar ratio of each potential carboxyl group formed by (a) to each sulfonyl group that can potentially generate acyl persulfonate is from 10 to 0.05.

Claim 13

A composition according to claim 9 wherein the aromatic sulfonyl halide bleach activator is selected from and the molar ratio of each potential peroxycarboxyl group formed by (a) to each sulfonyl group that can potentially generate acyl persulfonate is from 1 to 0.3, preferably from 1 to 0.7.

Claim 14

A composition according to either one of claims 9 & 10 further comprising a peroxygen bleaching compound capable of yuielding hydrogen peroxide in an aqueous solution wherein the molar ratio of (a) to said peroxygen bleaching compound is from 0.1 to 10.