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PATENT OFFICE 19,719 Water Sortening and Was ING Ralph E

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PATENT OFFICE 19,719 Water Sortening and Was ING Ralph E Reissued Oct. 8, 1935 Re. 19,719 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 19,719 wATER sorTENING AND was ING Ralph E. all, Mount Lebanon, Pa., assigner to all Laboratories, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., a cor poration of Pennsylvania No Drawing. Original No. 1,956,515, dated April 24, 1934, Serial No. 661,787, March 20, 1933. Renewed February 26, 1934. Application for reissue March 29, 1935, Serial No. 13,767 30 Claims. (C. 210-23) carbonate (washing soda), trisodium phosphate The present invention relates to water soften which is sold under various trade names, line ing and washing, and more particularly to the sodia ash, sodium silicate, etc. In these processes softening of water by the use of an alkali-metal the calcium and magnesium are converted, for metaphosphate, and to washing with water which the most part, into insoluble salts which are pre- 5 5 has been treated with an alkali-metal meta cipitated and which may be removed, although phosphate. This application is a continuation in in the ordinary domestic use of water softeners part of my copending application Serial No. the precipitate remains in the softened water. 629,873, filed August 22, 1932. Practically all of these water-softening com The natural waters, practically all of which pounds are highly alkaline, and water softened lo O contain some calcium and/or magnesium, can be by their use is rendered highly alkaline which divided roughly into two general classes, the so is objectionable for many purposes, such, for called "soft” waters and the so-called "hard' example, as for domestic use, as the alkalinity at waters. There is no sharp line of division be tacks the human skin and the fibres of fabrics be tween the two, and some waters lie about mid ing washed. When the precipitated solid phase 15 way between what would be considered to be a remains in the softened water, as is usual in do Soft Water or a hard water. In general, the soft nestic use of Water-Softening compounds, the Waters contain such small amounts of calcium Soap will tend to redissolve the precipitated phase, and magnesium that they lather fairly freely such as the calcium carbonate or calcium phos upon the addition of small amounts of the or phate, and re-precipitate the calcium as calcium 20 20 dinary fatty-acid soaps. The hard waters, on Soap, unless a large excess of sodium carbonate the other hand, due primarily to their higher cal Or sodium phosphate is used. It is therefore nec cium and/or magnesium contents, do not lather essary, for Such domestic Water softening, to use freely upon the addition of a small amount of a large excess of the water-softening compound Soap. The calcium and magnesium exist in Such With a consequent excessive alkalinity inparted 25 Waters in the form of soluble salts, usually sul to the softened Water. Also, the solid phase re phates, bicarbonates or chlorides. These salts mains in the water and may be entrapped in the are ionized so that the waters contain a relative fabrics being washed, rendering them harsh. The ly large concentration of free calcium and/or third common method of softening water now in magnesium ions. When a Soap is added to Such Vogue is the zeolite or base exchange method, in 30 30 hard waters the calcium or magnesium ions con Which the Water is passed through a special bine with the fatty-acid radicals of the soap to softening apparatus in which the sodium of the form insoluble calcium or magnesium soaps, un zeolite is exchanged for the calcium and/or mag till the free calcium and magnesium ions are re nesium in the water. The zeolite process requires duced in concentration to their equilibrium with the use of Irelatively expensive apparatus which 35 these soaps. Then a lather will be formed by the requires attention in order to periodically regen additicn of ful ther soap. erate the zeolite. While the "softening' of waters is most com I have found that waters containing calcium monly effected to render the waters better suited and/or magnesium may be effectively softened for Washing purposes, water softening is not lim by the use of an alkali-metal metaphosphate, such 40 0 ited to such uses, as hard waters are softened as Sodium metaphosphate, potassium metaphos for various other domestic and industrial pur phate, lithium metaphosphate, or ammonium poses. Chemically speaking, the softening of a metaphosphate, preferably sodium metaphos hard water consists in reducing the concentra phate on account of its lesser cost. For purposes tion therein of free calcium and/or magnesium of conciseness in description, my process will be 45 ions. The degree of softening is dependent upon described with reference to the use of sodium the extent of the diminution of the free calcium metaphosphate, it being understood that other and/or magnesium ions. alkali-metal metaphosphates may be used. There are three usual ways now in vogue for I have found that the softening thus effected softening water. The first method is by distilla can be had without objectionably increasing, or 50 0 tion, and condensation of the steam, whereby pure increasing at all, the alkalinity of the Water. In water is evaporated from the impure hard water, fact, a neutral softened water can be obtained, the impurities remaining behind. This requires or a softened water which is slightly acid or which distilation apparatus and is relatively expensive. is alkaline to the desired extent. Also, softening Thewater-softening second method compounds, is by the usegenerally of the so-called sodium can be effected without the production of any 55 19,719 solid-phase precipitate which would cloud the water, and a completely softened water can be ob The addition of a small amount of sodium car tained which is crystal clear. The process can bonate to the monosodium dihydrogen ortho be carried out without the use of any special equip phosphate at the time of fusion, results in the ment, the sodium metaphosphate or a solution presence of an equivalent amount of sodium py thereof simply being added to the water. This rophosphate in the fused product, and the amount 5 adapts it particularly to domestic use. The do of sodium carbonate used will determine the neu mestic user can obtain a completely softened water trality or slight alkalinity of the fused product. which is crystal clear and in which the alkalinity Provision for neutralizing the acidity of the O is not increased, so that it can be used without Sodium metaphosphate when it is dissolved may damage to the skin or to fabrics. also be made, if desired, by mixing with it a 0 When the water is to be used for Washing pur small amount of caustic soda, sodium carbonate, poses, a soap will ordinarily be added to increase or sesquicarbonate, borax, trisodium phosphate, its detergent and defocculative properties and sodium metasilicate, etc. The amounts of such s assist in peptizing greases. However, the softened neutralizing agents are relatively small and my water may be used for any purpose for which water softener consists principally of sodium 5 soft water is desired. For certain purposes the metaphosphate, and therefore when I speak of Water which has been softened with an alkali sodium metaphosphate I mean to include not metal metaphosphate is superior to a naturally Only the pure sodium metaphosphate, but also 20 soft water or a water which has been softened by sodium metaphosphate containing small amounts the usual water-softening methods, in that the al impurities.of acid-neutralizing reagents and perhaps other 20 kall-metal metaphosphate imparts to the water The action of the sodium metaphosphate is certain detergent properties and also solvent prop different from that of the usual water-softening erties, particularly upon calcium and magnesium compounds. No permanent precipitate of calcium 25 soaps. Water containing the alkali-metal meta or magnesium is formed. I believe that the 25 phosphate may be advantageously used for rinse sodium metaphosphate softens the water through Water in the laundering of fabrics since, due to removing the free calcium and magnesium ions the Solvent properties of the metaphosphate for by bringing them into a soluble slightly ionized such soaps, it dissolves calcium and magnesium compound or radical. The following experimen 30 soaps whileh may have been deposited in the fab tal evidence points to this explanation of the 30 fics in the previous washing operation. action of the sodium metaphosphate. The material which I prefer to use is the solu If the proper amount of Sodium metaphosphate ble sodium metaphosphate sometimes called is added to a hard calcium-bicarbonate water, 'Graham's salt', (Textbook of Inorganic Chem and the Water is then boiled to drive off the 35 istry, edited by J. Newton Friend, vol. 6, part 2, carbon dioxide, no precipitate of calcium carbon- 35 page 177, by J. B. R. Prideaux, Philadelphia, 1934; ate is formed. This indicates that the calcium Gmelin, Handbuch der Anorganischen Chemle, is combined in Some slightly ionized compound vol. 21, page 922, 8th Edition, Berlin, 1928); or or radical, whereby the calcium-ion concentra "Graham's metaphosphate" (A Dictionary of tion is reduced below below that corresponding to 40 Chemistry, by Henry Watts, vol. 4, page 578, New the saturation equilibrium of calcium carbonate. 40 York, 1873; A Treatise on Chemistry, by Roscoe It is possible to add sodium metaphosphate to a & Schorlemmer, vol. 2, Part 1, page 283, New mixture of water and solid calcium carbonate York, 1923), and which may have mixed with it and to dissolve the calcium carbonate, forming a small amount of sodium pyrophosphate to a clear solution.
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