Particulate sodium perborate monohydrate containing adsorbed activator

Claim 2

A composition comprising particulate sodium perborate monohydrate having adsorbed therein one or more O-acyl or N-acyl bleach activators.

Claim 3

A composition according to claim 1 in which the activator is a liquid O-acyl or N-acyl activator.

Claim 4

A composition according to claim 1 in which the activator is an O-acyl compound in which the acyl group has the formula R a --CO-- in which R a represents hydrogen or an aliphatic C 1 to C 9 group or an aromatic group, optionally substituted by an alkyl or carboxylic acid group, or has the formula --CO--R b --CO-- in which R b represents an aliphatic C 2 to C 10 diradical or an aromatic or cyclohexenyl diradical, optionally substituted by one or more alkyl or carboxylic acid groups.

Claim 5

A composition according to claim 3 in which the activator is an enol ester or a gem diester which has the following general formula (I): (E).sub.m --R.sup.c --(G)n (I) in which E represents a moiety of formula (II) ##STR3## and G represents a moiety of formula (III) ##STR4## and m and n are 0, 1 or 2 provided that n+m=1 or 2, in which formulae R d is selected from hydrogen or C 1 -C 5 alkyl or C 2 -C 4 alkenyl or a phenyl radical, and R e is selected from hydrogen or C 1-5 alkyl radical or a phenyl radical, or combines with R c or R d and the olefin group in formula (II) to form a carbocylic radical, R c is selected from hydrogen or C 1 -C 5 alkyl or C 2 -C 4 alkenyl or phenyl radicals when n+m=1 and is selected from a carbon-carbon bond or represents a branched or unbranched aliphatic or cycloaliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon diradical, when n+m=2 and Ac represents an acyl group which has the formula R a --CO-- in which R a represents a hydrogen group or an aliphatic C 1 to C 9 group or an aromatic group, optionally substituted by an alkyl or carboxylic acid group, or has the formula --CO--R b --CO-- in which R b represents an aliphatic C 2 to C 10 diradical or an aromatic or cyclohexenyl diradical, optionally substituted by one or more alkyl or carboxylic acid groups.

Claim 6

A composition according to claim 4 in which R a represents an alkyl C 1 -C 4 group.

Claim 7

A composition according to claim 4 in which the enol ester is selected from vinyl, isopropenyl, isobutenyl, n-butenyl, and cyclohexenyl esters or diethenyl esters spaced by phenylene or C 2 -C 4 polymethylene radicals.

Claim 8

A composition according to claim 4 in which the enol ester is selected from vinyl acetate, isopropenyl acetate, divinyl adipate, divinyl azelate, divinyl trimethyladipate, vinyl benzoate, isopropenyl benzoate, di-vinyl phthalate or cyclohexenyl acetate or 1,4-diacetoxybuta-1,3-diene and 1,5-diacetoxypenta-1,4-diene.

Claim 9

A composition according to claim 4 in which the gem diester is selected from ethylidene or isopropylidene diesters and tetraesters of C 4 -C 10 unbranched polymethylene diradicals optionally methyl or ethyl substituted.

Claim 10

A composition according to claim 8 in which the gem diester is selected from ethylidene diacetate, ethylidene dibenzoate, 1,1,4,4-tetraacetoxybutane 1,1,5,5-tetraacetoxypentane, ethylidene benzoate acetate, isopropylidene benzoate acetate, bis (ethylidene benzoate) adipate, and bis (ethylidene acetate) adipate or azelate or trimethyladipate.

Claim 11

A composition according to claim 4 in which the activator contains both an enol ester and a gem diester group.

Claim 12

A composition according to claim 10 in which the activator is 1,1,4-triacetoxybut-3-ene, 1,1,5-triacetoxypent-4-ene, or vinyl (ethylidene acetate) adipate

Claim 13

A composition according to claim 5 in which the activator is selected from vinyl benzoate, ethylidene benzoate acetate, divinyl adipate or vinyl acetate.

Claim 14

A composition according to claim 4 in which the or one R a represents an alkyl or cycloalkyl C 6 -C 9 group, substituted by 0,1, 2 or 3 methyl or ethyl groups.

Claim 15

A composition according to claim 13 in which the activator is selected from ethylidene acetate cyclohexane carboxylate or heptanoate or hexanoate or octanoate or 2-ethyl-hexanoate or 3,3,5-trimethyl-hexanoate.

Claim 16

A composition according to claim 2 in which the activator is an N-acyl caprolactam in which the acyl group has the formula R a --CO-- according to claim 3.

Claim 17

A composition according to claim 15 in which the activator is N-acetyl caprolactam.

Claim 18

A composition according to claim 1 in which the activator is a solid N-acyl or O-acyl activator.

Claim 19

A composition according to claim 17 in which the activator is an N-acyl alkylene amine or an N-acyl glycol uril in which the acyl group has the formula R a --CO-- in which R a represents hydrogen or an aliphatic C 1 to C 9 group or an aromatic group, optionally substituted by an alkyl or carboxylic acid group.

Claim 20

A composition according to claim 18 in which the activator is selected from tetraacetyl (ethylene or methylene) diamine or a tetraacetylglycol uril.

Claim 21

A composition according to claim 1 in which the weight ratio of persalt:activator is from 10:1 to 3:1.

Claim 22

A composition according to claim 1 in which the activator is introduced together with up to 20% by weight based on the activator of an alkyl ester of silicate or titanate.

Claim 23

A composition according to claim 1 in which the persalt/activator particles are coated with 1 to 35% by weight of a non-reacting coating agent.

Claim 24

A composition according to claim 1 in which the persalt/activator particles are blended with one or more diluents.

Claim 25

A composition according to claim 1 further comprising one or more particulate surfactants to a total weight of 5-95% of the composition and one or more particulate detergent builders to a total weight of 0-90% by weight of the composition.

Claim 26

A composition according to claim 1 containing up to the weight of persalt activator or acid buffer.

Claim 27

A composition according to claim 24 containing up to 5% by weight of a complexing phosphoric acid builder or salt thereof

Claim 28

A process for generating a peroxyacid species comprising the step of bringing into contact water and particulate sodium perborate monohydrate having adsorbed therein one or more O-acyl or N-acyl bleach activators.

Claim 29

A process for generating a peroxyacid species comprising the step of bringing into contact water and particulate sodium perborate monohydrate having adsorbed therein one or more O-acyl or N-acyl bleach activators.

Claim 30

A process according to claim 27 effected in the presence of one or more surfactants.

Claim 31

A process according to claim 27 effected in the presence of sufficient buffer to generate a pH of from 7.5 to 9.0.

Claim 32

A process according to claim 26 effected at ambient to 60° C.

Claim 33

A process for manufacturing a composition according to claim 1 in which particulate sodium perborate monohydrate is mixed with liquid or molten activator at a temperature of from ambient to 60° C. and above the melting point of the activator until the mixture is free flowing and the mixture is then cooled or permitted to cool to ambient.

Claim 34

A process for manufacturing a composition according to claim 1 in which the activator is dissolved in a solvent selected from hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons, ethers and esters having a boiling point of up to 70° C., adsorbed onto a particulate sodium perborate monohydrate and the solvent evaporated off.