Process for protecting the colors of colored textile articles or for providing crease resistance to textile articles

Abstract

The invention concerns a composition for cotton textile care in particular, comprising an anionic polysaccharide (in particular anionic polygalactomannan) having a mole weight higher than 250000. The composition can be a solid or liquid detergent formulation, a liquid rinsing and/or softening formulation, a drying additive contacted with wet textile in a dry textile, an aqueous ironing formulation, a prespotting washing additive deposited on the textile before a washing operation.

1 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A process for protecting the colors of colored textile articles or for providing crease-resistance to textile articles, comprising the step of applying to said articles a composition comprising at least one anionic polysaccharide with a weight-average molar mass of greater than 250,000 g/mole, the native skeleton of which is a polysaccharide comprising:
 a main chain comprising identical or different anhydrohexose units, and   branches comprising at least one neutral or anionic anhydropentose and/or anhydrohexose unit;   
       the anhydrohexose or anhydropentose units of said anionic polysaccharide being substituted or modified with at least one group, said group comprising an anionic group or a group that is optionally anionized at the working pH of said composition; 
       the degree of substitution or of modification (DSi) of the anhydrohexose or anhydropentose units with said anionic or anionizable group(s) ranging from 0.1 to less than 3. 
     
     
         26 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein the weight-average molar mass of the composition is greater than 500,000 g/mole, and the degree of substitution or of modification, DSi, ranges from 0.2 to 2.5. 
     
     
         27 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein the anionic or anionizable group(s) of the composition are linked to the carbon atoms of the sugar skeleton either directly or via —O— bonds. 
     
     
         28 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein the anionic or anionizable group(s) of the composition comprise one or more carboxylate, sulfonate, sulfate, phosphate or phosphonate functions. 
     
     
         29 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein the anionic or anionizable group(s) of the composition have the formula:
   —[—CH 2 —CH(R)—O] x —(CH 2 ) y —COOH     or     —[—CH 2 —CH(R)O] x —(CH 2 ) y —COOM   
       wherein:
 R is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl radical having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, 
 x is an integer ranging from 0 to 5, 
 y is an integer ranging from 0 to 5, and 
 M represents an alkali metal. 
 
     
     
         30 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein the anionic or anionizable group(s) of the composition comprise carboxyl groups (—COO − Na + ) linked directly to a carbon atom of the sugar skeleton, or carboxymethyl (sodium salt) —CH 2 —COO − Na +  linked to a carbon atom of the sugar skeleton via an —O— bond. 
     
     
         31 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein the anionic polysaccharide of the composition further comprises at least one nonionic group. 
     
     
         32 . The process of  claim 31 , wherein the nonionic groups of the composition are linked to the carbon atoms of the sugar skeleton either directly or via —O— bonds. 
     
     
         33 . The process of  claim 31 , wherein the nonionic groups of the composition have the formula:
   —[—CH 2 —CH(R)—O] x —R 1      
       wherein:
 R is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl radical having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms; 
 x is an integer ranging from 0 to 5; 
 R 1  represents:
 a hydrogen atom, 
 an alkyl radical comprising from 1 to 22 carbon atoms, optionally interrupted with one or more oxygen and/or nitrogen hetero atoms, cycloalkyl, aryl or arylalkyl, comprising from 6 to 12 carbon atoms, 
 a radical —(CH 2 ) y —COOR 2 , 
 a radical —(CH 2 ) y —CN, or 
 a radical —(CH 2 ) y —CONHR 2 ; 
 
 wherein R 2  represents an alkyl, aryl or arylalkyl radical comprising from 1 to 22 carbon atoms; and 
 y is an integer ranging from 0 to 5, or
   —CO—NH—R 1    
 
 
       wherein R 1  has the definition given above,
 linked to a carbon atom of the sugar skeleton via an —O— bond. 
 
     
     
         34 . The process of  claim 32 , wherein the nonionic groups of the composition comprise the following groups:
 methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, hexyl, octyl, dodecyl, octadecyl, phenyl, benzyl, linked to a carbon atom of the sugar skeleton via an ether, ester, amide, urethane bond, cyanoethyl, hydroxyethyl, hydroxypropyl, or hydroxybutyl, linked to a carbon atom of the sugar skeleton via an —O— bond.   
     
     
         35 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein the hexose units of the composition comprise D-glucose, D- or L-galactose, D-mannose, D- or L-fucose or L-rhamnose units, and further wherein the hexose units may be identical or different. 
     
     
         36 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein the neutral or anionic pentose or hexose units of the composition of the branches of the native skeleton comprise D-xylose, 1- or D-arabinose, D-glucose, D- or L-galactose, D-mannose, D- or L-fucose, L-rhamnose, D-glucuronic acid, D-galacturonic acid or D-mannuronic acid units, and further wherein the neutral or anionic pentose or hexose units may be identical or different. 
     
     
         37 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein said native skeleton of the composition comprises a galactomannan, galactoglucomannan, xyloglucan, a xanthan gum, a scleroglucan, succinoglycans, a rhamsan or a welan gum. 
     
     
         38 . The process of  claim 37 , wherein said native skeleton of the composition comprises a galactomannan. 
     
     
         39 . The process of  claim 38 , wherein said anionic polysaccharide of the composition comprises a carboxymethyl galactomannan or a carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl galactomannan. 
     
     
         40 . The process of  claim 39 , wherein said anionic polysaccharide of the composition comprises a carboxymethyl guar or a carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar. 
     
     
         41 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein said composition is in the form of
 a solid, a dispersion or a concentrated aqueous solution, placed in contact with a fabric to be treated, after dilution in water;   a dispersion or a concentrated aqueous solution prespotted onto the dry fabric to be treated before dilution in water;   a dispersion or an aqueous solution to be placed directly onto the dry fabric to be treated without dilution or a solid support comprising said anionic polysaccharide, to be applied directly to the dry fabric to be treated; or   an insoluble solid support comprising said anionic polysaccharide placed directly in contact with the fabric to be treated, while wet.   
     
     
         42 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein said composition comprises from 0.05% to 10% of said anionic polysaccharide, expressed as dry matter. 
     
     
         43 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein said composition is
 a solid or liquid detergent formulation comprising from 0.05% to 5% of said anionic polysaccharide, expressed as dry matter, capable of directly forming a washing bath by dilution;   a liquid rinsing or softening formulation comprising from 0.05% to 3% of said anionic polysaccharide, expressed as dry matter, capable of directly forming a rinsing and/or softening bath by dilution;   a solid material, comprising from 0.05% to 10% of said anionic polysaccharide, expressed as dry matter, adapted to be placed in contact with wet fabric in a tumble dryer;   an aqueous ironing formulation comprising from 0.05% to 10% of said anionic polysaccharide, expressed as dry matter; or   a washing additive comprising from 0.05% to 10% of said anionic polysaccharide, expressed as dry matter, adapted to be placed on the dry fabric prior to a washing operation using a detergent formulation optionally containing said anionic polysaccharide.   
     
     
         44 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein said composition further comprises at least one surfactant or at least one detergent additive or rinsing additive or softening additive for articles made of textile fibers or at least one solid support for said anionic polysaccharide. 
     
     
         45 . The process of  claim 25 , wherein the weight-average molar mass of said composition is up to 2,000,000 g/mole. 
     
     
         46 . The process of  claim 26 , wherein the weight-average molar mass of said composition is up to 2,000,000 g/mole.