SOFTENING AGENT

Abstract

A softening agent includes: a component (A) which is a compound represented by formula (1); and a component (B) which is an alcohol with 6 or more carbons. R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrocarbon group with 6 or more and 24 or less carbons, with the proviso that at least one of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 is a hydrocarbon group having a branch chain; A.sup.1O and A.sup.2O each independently represent an alkyleneoxy group with 2 or more and 4 or less carbons; x1 and x2 each independently represent an average number of added moles, which is a number of 0 or more and 10 or less; and M is a cation.

##STR00001##

Claims

1: A softening agent comprising: a component (A) which is a compound represented by formula (1); and a component (B) which is an alcohol with 6 or more carbons, ##STR00010## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrocarbon group with 6 or more and 24 or less carbons, with the proviso that at least one of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 is a hydrocarbon group having a branch chain, A.sup.1O and A.sup.2O each independently represent an alkyleneoxy group with 2 or more and 4 or less carbons, x1 and x2 each independently represent an average number of added moles, which is a number of 0 or more and 10 or less, and M is a cation.

2: The softening agent according to claim 1, wherein the component (A) is a di(2-propylheptyl)sulfosuccinate.

3: The softening agent according to claim 1, wherein the component (B) is an aliphatic alcohol.

4: The softening agent according to claim 1, wherein the component (B) is an alcohol with 6 or more and 14 or less carbons.

5: The softening agent according to claim 1, wherein the component (B) is a monohydric primary alcohol with 6 or more and 14 or less carbons.

6: The softening agent according claim 1, comprising the components (A) and (B) as active components.

7: The softening agent according claim 1, wherein a proportion of the component (B) relative to 100 parts by mass of a total of the components (A) and (B) is 10 parts by mass or more and 50 parts by mass or less.

8: A treatment liquid comprising: the softening agent according to claim 1; and water comprising a hardness component.

9: A method for treating fibers comprising bringing a treatment liquid into contact with the fibers, the treatment liquid comprising the softening agent according to claim 1 and water.

10: The method for treating fibers according to claim 9, wherein the water comprises a hardness component.

11: The method for treating fibers according to claim 9, wherein the treatment liquid is brought into contact with a textile product.

12: The method for treating fibers according to claim 11, wherein the textile product is a textile.

13: The method for treating fibers according to claim 11, wherein the textile product is cloth.

14: The method for treating fibers according to claim 9, wherein an amount of a total of the components (A) and (B) in the treatment liquid is from 0.01% o.w.f. or more to 5% o.w.f. or less relative to a weight of the fibers.

15: The softening agent according to claim 1, wherein a total carbon number of R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 in the formula (1) is 18 or more and 30 or less.

16: The softening agent according to claim 1, wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 in the formula (1) each independently represent a branched hydrocarbon group with 10 or more and 12 or less carbon atoms.

17: The softening agent according to claim 1, wherein the component (A) comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of a di(2-propylheptyl)sulfosuccinate, a di(isodecyl)sulfosuccinate and a di(2-butyloctyl)sulfosuccinate.

Description

EXAMPLES

Production Example 1

[0163] Sodium di(2-propylheptyl)sulfosuccinate shown in Tables 1 to 2 was prepared as follows. 176.5 g (1.8 mol) of maleic anhydrate, 626.6 g (4.0 mol) of 2-propylheptanol and 2.5 g (0.013 mol) of p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate were prepared in a four-neck flask with a capacity of 2 L equipped with a stirrer, a heating system, a distillation column and a nitrogen/vacuum connection, and after nitrogen replacement, the reaction was carried out with dehydration at 100 to 130? C. under nitrogen bubbling until an acid value decreased to an amount equivalent to p-toluenesulfonic acid. Subsequently, a catalyst adsorption treatment was carried out by using KYOWARD 500SH (manufactured by Kyowa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) in an amount of 1 mass % relative to a total amount of the contents within the reaction vessel. After the removal of the adsorbent, residual alcohol was removed by topping to obtain a diester maleate.

[0164] Next, 2.78 g (0.70 mol) of the diester maleate obtained above, 73 g (0.38 mol) of sodium disulfite and 48 g (2.7 mol) of ion exchange water were prepared in a 1-L glass reaction vessel, and the reaction was carried out at 115? C. by a publicly-known method using an alcohol-based polar solvent until a double bond derived from the diester maleate disappeared in NMR. After the reaction product was cooled to 50 to 65? C. and remaining sodium hydrogen sulfite was subjected to an oxidization treatment with 30% hydrogen peroxide, a pH was adjusted to 5 with 10% NaOH. The solvent and sodium sulfate were removed by distillation under reduced pressure, reprecipitation, liquid separation or the like to obtain sodium di(2-propylheptyl)sulfosuccinate. Note that the following components were used for producing sodium di(2-propylheptyl)sulfosuccinate. [0165] Maleic anhydrate: manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, Wako Special Grade [0166] 2-propylheptanol: manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, Guaranteed Reagent [0167] p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate: manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, Guaranteed Reagent [0168] Sodium disulfite: manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, Guaranteed Reagent

Production Example 2

[0169] Sodium di(isodecyl)sulfosuccinate shown in Table 3 was prepared as follows.

[0170] Sodium di(isodecyl)sulfosuccinate was obtained by the same method as in production example 1 except that 626.6 g (4.0 mol) of isodecyl alcohol (decanol manufactured by KH Neochem Co., Ltd.) was used instead of using 626.6 g (4.0 mol) of 2-propylheptanol.

Example and Reference Example

[0171] Softening agents each containing any combination of the following components (A) and (B) were prepared, a treatment liquid was prepared by using each of these softening agents, and a softening performance evaluation of each softening agent of the present invention was performed by the evaluation method described later. Specifically, a predetermined treatment liquid was prepared by using an aqueous dispersion containing components (A) and (B) in proportions shown in Tables 1 to 3 and having a total content of components (A) and (B) of 5 mass % (which is the softening agent of the present invention), and a softening performance evaluation of the softening agent of the present invention was performed by using this treatment liquid.

<Component (A)>

[0172] Sodium di(2-propylheptyl)sulfosuccinate [0173] Sodium di(isodecyl)sulfosuccinate

<Component (B)>

[0174] 1-heptanol manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation [0175] 1-octanol manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation [0176] 1-nonanol manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation [0177] 1-dodecanol, KALCOL 2098 manufactured by Kao Corporation [0178] 1-tetradecanol, KALCOL 4098 manufactured by Kao Corporation

<Method for Evaluating Softening Performance>

1) Pretreatment of Towel for Evaluation

[0179] Towels from which starching agents and impurities had been removed in advance by performing the following treatment were used as towels for evaluation.

[0180] Using an automatic washing machine (Model number NA-F60PB3 manufactured by Panasonic Corporation), a series of laundering processes (water amount 50 L, washing for 10 minutes->water-saving rinsing twice->dewatering for 9 minutes) was repeated three times on 24 commercially available cotton towels (TW220 manufactured by Takei Towel Co., Ltd., white) by adding 52.22 g of a 10% diluted liquid of a nonionic surfactant (EMULGEN 108 manufactured by Kao Corporation) as a detergent and using tap water of Wakayama city (the tap water is water having a hardness of 4? DH, and the same applies hereinafter) as water. Subsequently, the series of laundering processes was repeated twice with water alone. After that, the towels were naturally dried by leaving them alone at a room temperature (25? C.) for 24 hours.

2) Method for Treating Towel

[0181] After a treatment liquid was prepared in such a manner that a predetermined amount of ion exchange water (bath ratio 25 L/kg-towel) was put into Mini Mini Washing Machine (model number NA-35 manufactured in the name of National), an aqueous calcium chloride solution (equivalent to 4000? DH) was added as necessary to condition a hardness to a hardness shown in Tables 1 to 3, and a 5 mass % aqueous dispersion of softening agent components containing components (A) and (B) in proportions shown in Tables 1 to 3 was added under stirring and stirred for 1 minute, three cotton towels (a total of about 210 g) pretreated in the above 1) were put thereinto and treated for 5 minutes under stirring.

[0182] A total use amount of components (A) and (B) in this treatment was a treatment concentration (% o.w.f.) relative to the three cotton towels shown in Tables 1 to 3. Subsequently, the cotton towels were dewatered for 3 minutes in a dewatering tub of a twin tub washing machine (model number VH-52G(H) manufactured by TOSHIBA CORPORATION), and dried for 24 hours in a constant-temperature constant-humidity room at 23? C. and 40% RH.

3) Evaluation of Softening Performance

[0183] As a reference, a cotton towel treated by the above methods 1) and 2) in accordance with the formula described in each score below was prepared.

[0184] Softening performance was evaluated by comparing the softness of a cotton towel treated with the treatment liquid containing softening agent components containing components (A) and (B) in proportions shown in Tables 1 to 3 with the softness of a reference cotton towel. Five panelists each gave a score (point) on the basis of the following criteria to perform an evaluation, and the average thereof was determined as a softening score. Note that, in the evaluation, each panelist could make an evaluation with a decimal point between scores. [0185] Score 1: the same softness as treated with tap water at 20? C. alone [0186] Score 2: the same softness as treated in accordance with a formula of using an indicator softening base agent in an amount of 0.025% o.w.f. with tap water at 20? C. [0187] Score 3: the same softness as treated in accordance with a formula of using the indicator softening base agent in an amount of 0.050% o.w.f. with tap water at 20? C. [0188] Score 4: the same softness as treated in accordance with a formula of using the indicator softening base agent in an amount of 0.075% o.w.f. with tap water at 20? C. [0189] Score 5: the same softness as treated in accordance with a formula of using the indicator softening base agent in an amount of 0.100% o.w.f. with tap water at 20? C.

[0190] Here, as the indicator softening base agent, an ester amide hydrochloride (2-[N-[3-alkanoyl(C14-20)aminopropyl]-N-methylamino]ethyl alkano(C14-20)ate hydrochloride) was used.

[0191] Next, on the basis of the formula below, a softness improvement rate [%] was calculated from the softening score of each example. The results are shown in Tables 1 to 3. Note that softening score of reference in the following formula represents the softening score of the reference example of each table. The higher a softness improvement rate is, the more excellent the effect of imparting softness is. Further, in the present invention, if a use amount of component (A) is less than the reference example of each table (reference) and a softness improvement rate [%] is equal to or more than the reference example of each table (reference), the effect of imparting softness is considered to be excellent from the viewpoint of reducing costly component (A).

[00002]$\mathrm{Softness}\mathrm{improvement}\mathrm{rate}\left[\%\right]=100?\left[\left(\mathrm{softening}\mathrm{score}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{example}\right)-\left(\mathrm{softening}\mathrm{score}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{reference}\right)\right]/?\left(\mathrm{softening}\mathrm{score}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{reference}\right)$

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Example Reference 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 example Treatment Softening agent component (A) Sodium di(2-propylheptyl) sulfosuccinate 80 80 70 80 100 liquid [parts by mass] (B) 1-octanol 20 1-nonanol 20 1-dodecanol 30 1 -tetradecanol 20 Total 100 100 100 100 100 Hardness of treatment liquid [? DH] 4 4 4 4 4 Treatment concentration [% o.w.f.] 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.24 Softening performance evaluation Softness improvement rate [%] 42 37 32 42 Reference

TABLE-US-00002 Example Reference 2-1 2-2 2-3 2-4 2-5 2-6 2-7 2-8 2-9 2-10 2-11 example Treatment Softening (A) Sodium di(2- 80 80 80 90 80 70 90 80 70 50 80 100 liquid agent propylheptyl) component sulfosuccinate [parts (B) 1-heptanol 20 by mass] 1-octanol 20 1-nonanol 20 1-dodecanol 10 20 30 1-tetradecanol 10 20 30 50 20 Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Hardness of treatment liquid [? DH] 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 Treatment concentration [% o.w.f.] 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 1.0 0.24 Softening performance evaluation Softness 29 30 29 29 38 19 29 29 19 4 50 Reference improvement rate [%]

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Example Reference 3-1 3-2 example Treatment Softening (A) Sodium 80 80 100 liquid agent di(isodecyl) component sulfosuccinate [parts (B) 1-octanol 20 by mass] 1-tetradecanol 20 Total 100 100 100 Hardness of treatment 20 20 20 liquid [? DH] Treatment concentration [% o.w.f.] 0.3 0.3 0.24 Softening Softness 16 16 Reference performance improvement evaluation rate [%]