United States Patent (19) 11) 4,298,730 Galleymore Et Al
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United States Patent (19) 11) 4,298,730 Galleymore et al. 45 Nov. 3, 1981 54 PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A 3,867,301 2/1975 Watanabe............................ 252/132 SURFACTANT CONTAINING SUCROSE 3,963,699 6/1976 Rizzi............. ... 534/119 ESTERS 3,996,206 12/1976 Parker. 536/119 4,032,702 6/1977 James .................................. 536/119 75 Inventors: Harry R. Galleymore, Bath; Kenneth James, Reading; Haydn F. Jones, FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Reading; Chaman L. Bhardwaj, 1399053 6/1975 United Kingdom................ 536/119 Reading, all of England; James S. Plant, deceased, late of Reading, Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Albrecht England; by Aline P. Plant, Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ostrolenk, Faber, Gerb & administrator, Manchester, England Soffen 73) Assignee: Tahres Development (N.A.) N.V., (57) ABSTRACT Curacao, Netherlands Antilles The process for the preparation of a surfactant mixture containing sucrose mono- and di-esters, by reacting a 21) Appl. No.: 174,277 starting mixture including solid particulate sucrose, at 22 Filed: Jul. 31, 1980 least one triglyceride of a fatty acid having at least 8 30 Foreign Application Priority Data carbon atoms and a basic transesterification catalyst, at a temperature of from 110 to 140° C. at atmospheric Dec. 19, 1979 (GB) United Kingdom ..... ... 43762/79 pressure and in the absence of any solvent, is improved May 1, 1980 GB United Kingdom ............... 14370/80 by using a starting mixture which: 51) Int. Cl. ....................... C07H 13/06; C11D 1/66; (a) contains a di and/or mono-glyceride in an amount C11D 9/26; C11D 11/04 to provide a hydroxyl value of greater than 500 mg 52) U.S. Cl. ................................... 536/119; 252/89.1; KOHM 100g of starting mixture; 252/132; 252/174.17; 260/410.6 (b) contains at least 10% by weight of a fatty acid 58) Field of Search .................. 252/89.1, 132, 174.21, soap in addition to the basic transesterification 252/174.17; 260/410.6; 536/119 catalyst, at least 50% by weight of the soap being (56) References Cited potassium soap, and (c) (when the soap content is less than 20% by U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS weight) contains at least 25% by weight of sucrose. 2,970,962 2/1961 Hass .................................... 252/135 The improved process gives good yields in much 3,251,827 5/1966 Schnell .... ..., 536/119 3,480,616 11/1969 Osipow ........... ... 536/119 shorter reaction times and the products have high HLB 3,558,597 1/1971 Von Brachel ... 536/119 values. 3,714,144 1/1973 Feuge .......... ... 536/119 3,792,041 2/1974 Yamagishi........................... 536/119 20 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures 6 5 ki g 3 o 92 s 2 1 0. -- --- T O O 2O 30 40 INTIAL SOAP CONCENTRATION (%) U.S. Patent Nov. 3, 1981 Sheet 1 of 10 4,298,730 Z W 0% 08 U.S. Patent Nov. 3, 1981 Sheet 2 of 10 4,298,730 O 2O 30 40 INITIAL SOAP CONCENTRATION (%) FIG2. U.S. Patent Nov. 3, 1981 Sheet 3 of 10 4,298,730 G#9 Z U.S. Patent Nov. 3, 1981 Sheet 4 of 10 4,298,730 1OO 90 80 70 60 50 LO 3 O 20 10 O "/K SOAP O 10 20 30 O 50 60 70 BO 90 100 1. No SOAP FG4. U.S. Patent Nov. 3, 1981 Sheet 5 of 10 4,298,730 8o ass 2 o Co CO S 32gt N O Ul 2 up d d S 4. so O l 2. mh r N vm O O co o op o O d C O O na n m (/) 30+W U.S. Patent Nov. 3, 1981 Sheet 6 of 10 4,298,730 0009,0099000G00G70007OOGE000£OOGZ000Z00G| '99]+(500l/HOMÂu),TVMINXOHOMHTWIN 000|| 009 0 U.S. Patent Nov. 3, 1981 Sheet 7 of 10 4,298,730 inha CM cy al O s O ap m LL Ns e Sa N Ean O O unwill SSRSS O L Lao to On U?o O ad Le d u r N N m O op e O o s LA) o n CN s Se LA) U.S. Patent Nov. 3, 1981 Sheet 8 of 10 4,298,730 MEDE (GRAPHICAL ESTIMATION) 25 DG N S 20 N / Yv -ME N (%) N A. w w Y. M 15 N/ y / N / MG \ 1. - 7 YSN 10 / --N - 74- - - -DE 21 M A / 2 M 5 / / / / / / / -1 TG of INITIAL SUCROSE CONCENTRATION FIG.8. U.S. Patent Nov. 3, 1981 Sheet 9 of 10 4,298,730 l O 3 5 3 O 10 15 2O 25 30 35 40 PERCENTAGE SUGAR BY WEIGHT USED IN REACTIONS FIG.9. U.S. Patent Nov. 3, 1981 Sheet 10 of 10 4,298,730 O 10 15 20. 25 30, 35 40 PERCENTAGE SUGAR BY WEIGHT USED IN REACTIONS FIG.O. 4,298,730 1. 2 U.S. Pat. No. 3,480,616 (of Osipow et al) describes a PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A modified form of the solvent transesterification process SURFACTANT CONTAINING SUCROSE ESTERS in which sucrose is reacted with a methyl ester, such as methyl tallowate, in a solvent such as propylene glycol This invention relates to the production of a surface 5 which dissolves the sucrose but not the fatty compo active material comprising or consisting of one or more nent. An emulsifying agent is used, and the reaction is fatty acid esters of sucrose. performed in a so-called “micro-emulsion'. Although Esters of sucrose with fatty acids, particularly the this process avoids the disadvantages arising from the sucrose mono-esters and di-esters, are potentially very use of a toxic solvent such as dimethylformamide, it still valuable as surfactants and have a number of unique 10 has to be performed under reduced pressure and in the advantages in this role. Thus, they are non-toxic, odour absence of any water. less and tasteless; they are non-irritating to the skin; and, A later modification of the solvent transesterification when ingested, they hydrolyse to form normal food process, described in British Pat. No. 1,332, 190 (of Dai products. Unlike most surfactants, they are biodegrad Ichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co. Ltd.) uses water as the solvent. able under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions; and, 15 The sucrose is completely dissolved in water in the unlike most other non-ionic surfactants, they are solid presence of a fatty acid soap, a fatty acid ester and a and thus readily usable in powdered or spray-dried transesterification catalyst are added, and the mixture is products. They are very good emulsifiers; and they dehydrated under reduced pressure and at elevated perform well as detergents, either alone or in combina temperature so as to produce a homogeneous melt. The tion with anionic surfactants, and can be formulated 20 melt is then maintained at elevated temperature, for the either as high-foaming or low-foaming detergents. Ac transesterification reaction to take place. Although this cordingly, they can be used generally as domestic or process avoids the problems which arise when using an industrial detergents, and also in specialised uses such as organic solvent such as dimethylformamide or propy additives for foodstuffs, animal feeds, cosmetics, phar lene glycol, it is a multistage process which still requires maceuticals and agricultural chemicals. 25 heating under reduced pressure, and the pressure must However, in spite of possessing these advantages, be carefully controlled in relation to the temperature sucrose ester surfactants have never been exploited to when producing the dehydrated melt, in order to avoid their full potential, because of difficulties arising in their hydrolysis of the fatty acid ester. The process is, there production. Many processes have been proposed for the fore, undesirably complicated for use on an industrial preparation of sucrose ester surfactants but, due to tech 30 scale. nical and economical disadvantages, it is still not easy to A solvent-free transesterification process has also achieve large-scale industrial production at a price com been proposed in J. Amer. Oil Chem. Soc. 1970, 47, (2), petitive with other surfactants. 56-60; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,714,144 (of Feuge et al). In Sucrose esters cannot efficiently be prepared by the accordance with this process, it is stated that the sol direct esterification of sucrose with a fatty acid, but 35 vent-free transesterification must be carried out with three other methods are possible: reaction with a fatty the sucrose in the molten state; and the process is, there acid chloride; reaction with a fatty acid anhydride; and fore, performed at a temperature of from 170 to 190° C. transesterification with a fatty acid ester. The reaction After a short time, the molten sucrose begins to degrade with acid chlorides, which is performed in the presence to a black tarry mass, and the reaction with the fatty of pyridine, is uneconomical and will not give good 40 acid ester must necessarily be performed very quickly: yields of sucrose monoesters or diesters: it can be used the reaction is generally stopped within 20 minutes, and to prepare sucrose octa-esters, but these are unsatisfac sometimes after only 2 minutes. As in the solvent pro tory as surfactants. Acid anhydrides of the higher fatty cesses, the reaction is performed under reduced pres acids are not available commercially, and their prepara sure, to distill off the alcoholic by-product. Further tion is complicated and expensive. Consequently, at 45 more, the reaction must be performed in the presence of tempts at finding a commercial process for the prepara an alkali-free anhydrous soap, which serves to solubilise tion of sucrose ester surfactants have concentrated on the fatty acid ester in the molten sucrose and to catalyse the transesterification reaction, generally using methyl the transesterification: alkoxides, free alkalis and ordi or glyceryl esters of fatty acids.