Soap Manufacturers Consider Detergents A S T A F F REPORT J J E T E R G E N T S came in for active discussion from b o t h technical and marketing standpoints at t h e twenty-second annual convention of the Association of American Soap and Glycerine Producers in New York City, J a n . 2 6 a n d 27. G r o u p programs were also held o n such matters a s bulk soap, glycerol, a n d potash, a n d full sessions were held on market research, t h e fats a n d oils outlook for 1949, a n d t h e synthetics. T h e anionic, cationic, a n d nonionic types of detergents were the s u b j e c t of a paper read b y L e e I X Callans, A n t a r a products division, General Aniline &: Film Corp. Of t h e three types, i t was held that t h e anionics _today b y f a r hold the greater p a r t of the market. T h e outstanding examples are the f a t t y alcohol sulfates such as Dreft, and t h e sulfated monoglycerides like Vel. T h e y foam copiously, a r e unaffected by hard water, leave no t u b "ring," and r e m o v e fats and grease with relative ease. T h e nonionics, a t least those in liquid form, are good detergents in either hard or soft water, b u t their foam is not a s copious as t h a t produced by t h e anionics. As liquids they introduce p a c k a g i n g a n d breakage costs a n d h a v e but limited a p plication. However, t h e nonionics can be spray or d r u m dried with selected a d ditives to provide products of t h e same physical forms as the anionic products. T h e cationics i n the main a r e re 1 atively Inefficient detergents, Mr. C a l l a n s said. This p a r t of his discussion w a s limited t o the q u a t e r n a r y ammonium salts, which h e stated were outstanding bactericides a n d which are steadily gaining recognition as a Buitable means for sanitation. Turning t o t h e new markets being d e veloped for the detergent field, the speaker said t h a t extensive work is being done t o a d a p t nonionics to clothes washing m a chines. After much experiment General Aniline formulated a detergent which w a s market-tested in various water areas a n d which found a high degree of consumer acceptance. Designated t h u s far a s D-4, the new detergent is a liquid nonionic, nonhygroscopic, nonbleeding, a n d spray dried bead. I n his address, "Tailoring Synthetic Detergents," J . C. Harris, M o n s a n t o Chemical Co., said t h a t the new optical bleaches h a v e o n e possible d i s a d v a n t a g e . Some of t h e m m a y impart a slight off-tint to white fabrics though suppliers claim this potential defect can b e eliminated. Bluing compounds contain these adjuncts. There is also a definite trend in tailoring synthetic compositions to blend s y n t h e t i c ingredients to a t t a i n definite synergistic effect. T h e r e is no laboratory method for
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determining the o p t i m u m ratio of one s y n t h e t i c to another, however, and this considerably reduces the speed with which s u c h a change can take place. One of t h e phenomenal features of the s y n t h e t i c soap business, Harris continued, i s the emergence of the nonionic t y p e to its p r e s e n t i m p o r t a n t s t a t u s . E v e n more varied than the anionics a r e the nonionics, because b o t h the hydrophobic a n d hydrophilic portions of the molecule can be varied almost at will. I t is expected t h a t this t y p e of agent will m e e t even greater acceptance t h a n i t does t o d a y . Discussing the more recently developed alkaline "builders," the speaker said t h a t i n addition to t h e usual neutral salts, alkaline materials much in use are modified soda, soda ash, a n d phosphates such as tetrasodium pyrophosphate. M a r k e d imp r o v e m e n t in cleansing can be obtained by using the proper builders in the preferred a m o u n t for each t y p e of active agent, b u t most synthetics a r e more crystalloidal in character t h a n s o a p . T h i s is in contrast t>o soaps which inherently contain the "unt a g g e d " colloidal p r o p e r t y of maintaining soil in suspension so it m a y be rinsed away a.nd n o t redeposited. T h e use of carboxymethylcellulose to p r e v e n t redeposition is now fully recognized by t h e t r a d e . C M C is t h e German T y l o s e so successfully used w i t h their ersatz detergents. Its costs h a v e gone down, and really large usage will depend upon further cost reduction. T h e improved supply position of fats a n d oils, t h e prime raw materials of the soap-maker, were discussed before the A S G P meeting b y Charles E. L u n d , chief of t h e fats and oils division, Office of
International T r a d e . In t h e prewar y e a r s 1937-41 t h e United S t a t e s i m p o r t e d s o m e 2 billion p o u n d s of f a t s and oils annually, or four times our shipments abroad. In 1948, although w e were still on a n e t import basis b y 300 million pounds, exports were almost t w o t h i r d s as large as imports, a n d almost 500 million pounds over prewar figures. Prior to the war, 1 6 % of our new supply of fats and oils was imported each year. W a r t i m e exigencies a n d recovery needs abroad h a v e resulted in a decline i n this dependence to a b o u t 9 % in 1948. L a u n d r y requirements in soap and detergents were t h e subject of a paper by R a l p h B . Smith, N e w J e r s e y L a u n d r y owners Association. Spécifications for soap as p r o m u l g a t e d by the American" Society for Testing M a t e r i a l s relate largely to chemical composition of the finished product a n d provide no tests for soap performance under various conditions of use, he said. Laundries a n d other users have developed washing m e t h o d s b y cut and try methods. T h e r e is a wealth of d a t a on t h e physical chemistry of surfaceactive agents, b u t t h e r e is a distinct gap between such information and industrial use methods for s o a p a n d other detergents. L a u n d r y experience i n d i c a t e d certain conditions which will give t h e best results with soap. S o a p can not b e used at p H values m u c h below 8.5 because of the formation of acid soaps or f a t t y acids, but the best detergent range for cotton washing seems to lie b e t w e e n p H 11.0 and 12.0. M o r e information i s needed a s to the relationship between p H a n d detergency.
N. TV. Dal ton j technical director to the association: Ralph Whiting, and Co.; and E. M. Heavers, Rohm & Haas Co. zvho spoke on alkyd
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