Narrow range alkoxylate nonionic surfactant prodn. - by alkoxylation of cpds. contg. active hydrogen or ester using metal alcoholate activated with organic carboxylic acid as homogeneous catalyst.

摘要

Prodn of nonionic surfactants (I) comprises alkoxylating cpds (IIA) with active H atoms or esters (IIB) in the presence of gp IIA and/or IIIB alcoholate(s) (III) and organic, opt substd carboxylic acids (IV) as activators. Pref (IIA) are fatty alcohols of the formula R1OH (IIA-1); and (IIB) are lower alkyl esters of the formula R2CO-OR3 (IIB-1) or fatty acid glycerides of the formula R4-CO-O-CH2-CH(O-CO-R5)-CH2O-CO-R6 (IIB-2). R1= a 6-22C aliphatic hydrocarbyl gp with 0, 1, 2 or 3 double bonds; R2CO, R4CO, R5CO and R6CO= 6-22C aliphatic acyl gps with 0, 1, 2 or 3 double bonds; R3= 1-4C alkyl. Ethylene oxide (EO) is used for alkoxylation. (III) are Mg and/or Al alcoholates; and (IV) mono-, di- and polycarboxylic acids, aminocarboxylic acids, oligopeptides, hydroxycarboxylic acids and their partial esters. USE/ADVANTAGE - (I) are useful in washing, dish washing and cleaning agents and hair and body care prods. Narrow range alkoxylates contg little fatty alcohol and little polyethylene glycol are obtd which normally are obtd only with heterogeneous catalyst systems. The catalysts are obtd simply by mixing (III) and (IV) without the additional cost of synthesis.