Particulate detergent additive compositions

Claim 2

A detergent additive composition in particulate form comprising: (a) a storage-sensitive detergent additive material releasably enclosed within (b) a water-soluble glassy matrix of amorphous phosphate having the general formula I: (M.sub.2 O).sub.x (P.sub.2 O.sub.5).sub.y wherein M is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium and 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; wherein said storage sensitive detergent additive material is a multifunctional photoactivator/dye which is a porphine having the general formula II: ##STR4## 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), Al(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 cationic 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 3

A composition according to claim 1 wherein the porphine is selected from the group consisting of zinc phthalocyanine tri-and tetra-sulphonates and mixtures thereof.

Claim 4

A composition according to claim 1 wherein the amorphous phosphate has a y value in the range from 3 to 30 and an x:y ratio in the range from 0.85 to 1.5.

Claim 5

A composition according to claim 3 wherein the amorphous phosphate has a y value in the range from 6 to 15 and an x:y ratio in the range from 1 to 1.3.

Claim 6

A composition according to any of claims 1, 3 or 4 wherein the amorphous phosphate has a dissolution rate in distilled water at 25° 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.

Claim 7

A composition according to claim 5, wherein the dissolution rate is such that the time for 90% dissolution of the phosphate is in the range from 8 minutes to 20 minutes.

Claim 8

A composition according to claim 1 wherein the particles thereof comprise from 1% to 15% by weight thereof of the amorphous phosphate of formula I.

Claim 9

A composition according to claim 7, wherein said particles comprise from 3% to 10% by weight thereof of the amorphous phosphate of formula I.

Claim 10

A composition according to claim 1 wherein 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 11

A composition according to claim 1 for addition to a detergent composition comprising a nonionic surfactant wherein 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 12

A granular detergent composition comprising from 0.1% to 20% thereof of a detergent additive composition in particulate form comprising: (a) a storage-sensitive detergent additive material releasably enclosed within (b) a water-soluble glassy matrix of amorphous phosphate having the general formula I: (M.sub.2 O).sub.x (P.sub.2 O.sub.5).sub.y I wherein M is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium and 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; wherein said storage sensitive detergent additive material is a multifunctional photoactivator/dye which is a porphine having the general formula II: ##STR5## 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), Al(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 cationic 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 13

A granular detergent composition comprising from 0.1% to 20% thereof of a detergent additive composition in particulate form comprising: (a) a storage-sensitive detergent additive material releasably enclosed within (b) a water-soluble glassy matrix of amorphous phosphate having the general formula I: (M.sub.2 O).sub.x (P.sub.2 O.sub.5).sub.y I wherein M is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium and 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; wherein said storage sensitive detergent additive material is a multifunctional photoactivator/dye which is a porphine having the general formula II: ##STR5## 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), Al(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 cationic 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 14

A composition according to claim 11 wherein the porphine is selected from the group consisting of zinc phthalocyanine tri-and tetra-sulphonates and mixtures thereof.

Claim 15

A composition according to claim 11 wherein the amorphous phosphate has a y value in the range from 3 to 30 and an x:y ratio in the range from 0.85 to 1.5.

Claim 16

A composition according to claim 13 wherein the amorphous phosphate has a y value in the range from 6 to 15 and an x:y ratio in the range from 1 to 1.3.

Claim 17

A composition according to any of claims 11, 19 or 20 wherein the amorphous phosphate has a dissolution rate in distilled water at 25° C. such that the time for 90% dissolution of the phosphate, in the form of particles of sieve size thru' 20# on 30# mesh, is in the range from 5 minutes to 2 hours.

Claim 18

A composition according to claim 15, wherein the dissolution rate is such that the time for 90% dissolution of the phosphate is in the range from 8 minutes to 20 minutes.

Claim 19

A composition according to claim 11 wherein the particles of detergent additive compositions comprise from 1% to 15% by weight thereof of the amorphous phosphate of formula I.

Claim 20

A composition according to claim 17, wherein said particles comprise from 3% to 10% by weight thereof of the amorphous phosphate of formula I.

Claim 21

A composition according to claim 11 wherein 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 22

A granular detergent composition according to claim 11 comprising: (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.

Claim 23

A composition according to claim 20 wherein 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 24

A method for making the detergent additive composition of claim 1 comprising the step of 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.