Stabilization of particles containing quaternary ammonium bleach precursors

Claim 1

A particulate detergent composition additive, each particle being an intimately blended mixture comprising: (i) from 30 to 95% of a precursor compound having the formula: ##STR6## wherein: R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are each a radical selected from the group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, alkaryl, aryl, phenyl, hydroxyalkyl, polyoxyalkylene, and R 4 OCOL; or two or more of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 together form an alkylsubstituted or unsubstituted nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring system; or at least one of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 is attached to R 4 to form an alkyl substituted or unsubstituted nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ring system; R 4 is selected from a bridging group consisting of alkylene, cycloalkylene, alkylenephenylene, phenylene, arylene, and polyalkoxylene; and wherein the bridging group can be unsubstituted or substituted with C 1 -C 20 atoms selected from alkyl, alkenyl, benzyl, phenyl and aryl radicals; Z - is a monovalent or multivalent anion leading to charge neutrality when combined with Q + in the appropriate ratio and wherein Z - is sufficiently oxidatively stable not to interfere significantly with bleaching by a peroxy carbonic acid; Q is nitrogen or phosphorous; and L is selected from the group consisting of ##STR7## wherein R 5 and R 6 are a C 1 -C 12 alkyl group, R 7 is H or R 5 , and Y is selected from the group consisting of H, --SO M , --COO M , --SO M , --N + (R 5 ) 3 X - , NO 2 , OH, and O ←N(R 5 ) 2 and mixtures thereof; M + is a cation which provides solubility to the precursor, and X - is an anion which provides solubility to the precursor; (II) a stabilizing agent for said precursor present in an effective amount to restrain hydrolysis, said stabilizing agent being selected from the group consisting of solid inorganic acids and C 4 or higher organic acids having at least one carboxylic group; and (iii) a dispersing agent which is a water-soluble alkoxylated material having about 10 to 100 moles of alkoxide per mole hydrophobe present in an effective amount to promote dispersion of the particulate in an aqueous medium, said agent being selected from the group consisting of alkoxylated fatty alcohols, alkoxylated fatty acids, alkoxylated alkylphenols, polypropoxylated-polyethoxylated copolymers and mixtures thereof, the ratio of stabilizing agent to dispersing agent ranging from about 5:1 to 1:5.