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United States Patent 19 11 4,356,038 Bain et al. 45) Oct. 26, 1982 54 STABILIZATION OF CHLORINATED 3,049,571 8/1962 Brown .......................... 570/110 ALPHATIC HYDROCARBONS AND USE OF 3,238,065 3/1966 Fullhart, Jr. .......................... 34/11 STABILIZED COMPOSITION IN CLEANING 3,281,480 10/1966 Hardies ............. 252/71 X 3,549,715 12/1970 Cormany et al. ................... 570/10 ARTICLES 4,115,461 9/1978 Spencer et al. ................. 252/171 X 75 Inventors: David Bain, Sutton Leach; John E. Martin, Grappenhall; John H. Saul, FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Upton-by-Chester; Neil Winterton, 788495 6/1968 Canada. Tarvin, all of England 1435548 5/1976 United Kingdom ................ 252/17 1439970 6/1976 United Kingdom ................ 252/17 73 Assignee: Imperial Chemical Industries 2024242 1/1980 United Kingdom . Limited, London, England 2024243 1/1980 United Kingdom . 21 Appl. No.: 170,835 Primary Examiner-Richard D. Lovering 22 Filed: Jul. 16, 1980 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cushman, Darby & Cushman 30 Foreign Application Priority Data 57 ABSTRACT A solvent composition for cleaning metal and other Jul. 25, 1979 (GB United Kingdom ................. 792.5867 articles which comprises 1,1,1-trichloroethane having Apr. 25, 1980 GB United Kingdom ................. 8O13705 dissolved therein a stabilizing amount of a mixture of 51) Int. Cl. ......................... C1D 7/50; C23G 5/02; stabilizing components comprising (i) tertiary butanol C09K 15/16; C07C 17/42 (ii) nitromethane and (iii) 1-or 2-nitropropane or nitro 52 U.S. C. .......................................... 134/2; 134/31; ethane, in which mixture the specified stabilizing com 252/171; 252/364; 252/405; 570/110 ponents are present in the mole fraction percent ranges 58 Field of Search ....................... 252/364, 171, 405; encompassed by Contour Kin FIG. 1 of the drawings in 134/11, 2, 31; 570/110 the case where component (iii) is 1-or 2-nitropropane or by Contour A in FIG. 2 of the drawing in the case 56) References Cited where component (iii) is nitroethane. U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 3,000,978 9/1961 Fredenburg ........................ 570/18 13 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures KEY WIDEST SCOPE OF THE INVENTION N SX MORE PREFERRED REGION as Sy d S 2. s/XXYXNN(\AAN (KNW 2. /XXNXXNKNXNX38X\%\N X. & N 2. NX AywyswearyayawpawsQNX8.Q & TBA, MOE FRACTION / I U.S. Patent Oct. 26, 1982 Sheet 2 of 2 4,356,038 4,356,038 1. 2 TABLE STABILIZATION OF CHLORINATED ALPHATIC Tertiary 1-Nitro- Nitro HYDROCARBONS AND USE OF STABILIZED Butano propane methane COMPOSTION IN CLEANING ARTICLES Mole Mole Mole Contour fraction 2 fraction 9% fraction 2% This invention relates to the stabilisation of 1,1,1-tri K 3 to 8 3 to 50 3 to 84 chloroethane. L 20 to 83 3 to 40 7 to 77 A wide variety of organic compounds have been M 35 to 80 3 to 34 10 to 62 proposed for the stabilisation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane. O Referring now to FIG. 2 the lines I, II and III of the These include, by way of example, ethers e.g. 1,4-diox triangle represent the mole fraction percent of each of ane and 1,3-dioxolane, ketones, alkyl nitrates, amines, the three components (Dt-butanol (II) nitromethane and phenolic compounds, aliphatic alcohols e.g. tertiary (III)nitroethane. Contour A encompasses an area repre butanoi, nitroalkanes containing one to three carbon senting the broadest range of the mole fraction percent atoms, epoxides e.g. 1,2-butene, and alkyl substituted 15 of the three components which are within the scope of pyrroles. Hundreds of different mixtures of stabilisers the invention. Contour B encompasses an area repre from these and other groups of compounds have been senting a preferred range of mole fractions percent of proposed. the three components. We have now found that a surprising and improved Contour C encompasses an area representing an espe 20 cially preferred range of mole fractions percent of the effect is obtained in the stabilisation of 1,1,1-trichloroe three components. The ranges represented by the con thane by incorporating in the solvent (i) tertiary buta tours are given for convenience in the following Table nol, (ii) nitro-methane and (iii) 1- or 2-nitropropane or II. The total mole fraction percent of the three stabilis nitroethane. Mixtures of 1-nitropropane and/or 2-nitro ing components when added together is necessarily 100 propane and nitroethane may be used. 25 percent. We have found, surprisingly, that by adding specific molar proportions of said nitroalkanes and tertiary buta TABLE I Mole Mole Mole nol to 1,1,1-trichloroethane, the stability of the solvent Fraction Fraction Fraction is significantly greater than that conferred on the sol 30 % % % vent by adding the same total molar concentration of Contour Tertiary Butanol Nitromethane Nitroethane any one of said nitroalkanes alone, any mixture of said A 15 to 90 1 to 84 to 74 nitroalkanes, or tertiary butanol. By incorporating all B 35 to 90 1 to 59 1 to 56 three of the stabilising components (i) (ii) and (iii) in the C 45 to 90 1 to 54 to 49 35 solvent, a synergistic or interelated stabilising effect is One outstanding effect of the present invention is that obtained which is entirely unexpected. 1,1,1-trichloroethane stabilised with a mixture of the The molar proportions of the three stabilising compo three components in the mole fraction percent ranges nents, namely tertiary butanol, nitromethane and nitro within the area encompassed by Contour K or Contour propane or nitroethane which are within the scope of 40 A is highly effective against the corrosive effect of light the present invention are illustrated in the triangular metals, especially aluminium. For greatest effectiveness diagrams shown in the drawings accompanying the of the mixtures of this respect we prefer mixtures within specification. the area encompassed by Contour L or Contour B and especially mixtures within the area encompassed by BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ORAWINGS 45 Contour M or Contour C. The effectiveness of the FIG. relates to a stabilizer mixture using nitropro stabiliser against the corrosive effect of light metals can pane as component (iii). be determined by the colour developed (in Hazen units) FIG. 2 relates to a mixture containing nitroethane as in the presence of aluminium, as more particularly de component (iii). scribed hereinafter. 50 Contour K, L and Mshown in the triangular diagram Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the lines I,II and of FIG. the figures quoted in Table I and Contours A, III of the triangular diagram represent the mole fraction B and C shown in the triangular diagram of FIG. 2 and percent of each of the three components (I) t-butanol, the figures quoted in Table II are based on results ob (II) nitromethane and (III) nitropropane (the nitropro tained using stabilised 1,1,1-trichloroethane in which pane illustrated is 1-nitropropane). Contour K encom 55 the total molar concentration of the three components passes an area representing the broadest range of the was 0.8 moles/liter. However these mole fractions per mole fraction percent of the three components which cent ranges apply to 1,1,1-trichloroethane having any are within the scope of the invention. Contour L en total molar concentration of the components, i.e. the compasses an area representing a preferred range of percentage ranges are independent of the total molar mole fractions percent of the three components. Con 60 concentration of the stabilizing components. tour M encompasses an area representing an especially The actual molar concentrations chosen of the stabi lisers within the defined ranges will depend on several preferred range of mole fractions percent of the three factors, including for example, cost and availability of components. the individual stabilisers and the degree of stability The ranges represented by the Contours are given for 65 required in the stabilised solvent. The latter may depend convenience in Table I; the total mole fraction percent on the use for which the solvent is required, e.g. the of the three stabilising components when added to degreasing procedure to be utilised, for example gether is necessarily 100 percent. whether a cold cleaning or a vapour cleaning technique 4,356,038 3 4. is to be used. Even with a small fraction of one mole per thane due to the presence of metals which comprising liter total concentration of the three stabilising compo incorporating in said solvent a stabilising mixture of nents, the improved results of the present invention are tertiary butanol nitromethane and nitropropane or ni obtained. Obviously a large excess of stabilisers over troethane as hereinbefore described. The invention also what is required to confer the desired degree of stability includes a method of degreasing metal and other articles to the solvent is unnecessary and wasteful. Generally which comprise bringing them into contact with 1,1,1- however, it is usual to employ a total of from 0.3 to 1.5 trichloroethane or the vapour thereof containing a moles per liter of the stabilising components; preferably Stabilising mixture of tertiary butanol, nitromethane and there is employed a total of from 0.6 to 1.2 moles per nitropropane or nitroethane as hereinbefore described. liter of the components. 10 The following Examples illustrate the invention. The stabilisation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane against cor rosive attack by light metals, especially aluminium, is EXAMPLE 1. highly desirable but is not the only requirement for Solvent compositions were made up consisting of adequate stabilisation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane. Thus for 1,1,1-trichloroethane containing specific molar frac example in typical vapour degreasing processes using 15 tions percent of tertiary butanol, nitromethane and 1 stabilised 1,1,1-trichloro ethane, the liquid composition nitropropane.