Composition and method

Abstract

A surfactant comprising the reaction product of: (a) an epoxidised carboxylic acid ester; and (b) a compound including at least one reactive alcohol and/or amino functional group.

1 . A surfactant comprising the reaction product of:
 (a) an epoxidised carboxylic acid ester; and   (b) a compound including at least one reactive alcohol and/or amino functional group.   
     
     
         2 . A method of preparing a surfactant, the method comprising reacting:
 (a) an epoxidised carboxylic acid ester; and   (b) a compound including at least one reactive alcohol and/or amino functional group.   
     
     
         3 . A composition according to  claim 1  wherein component (a) comprises an ester of formula RCOOR 1  in which R is a hydrocarbyl group including an epoxy functional group and R 1  is a hydrocarbyl group. 
     
     
         4 . A composition according to  claim 3  wherein R is an unbranched aliphatic group having 6 to 26 carbon atoms and R 1  is methyl or 2-ethylhexyl. 
     
     
         5 . A composition according to  claim 1  wherein component (a) is derived from soybean oil fatty acid. 
     
     
         6 . A composition according to  claim 1  wherein component (b) comprises a compound of formula (I):
                     
 wherein n is 0 or a positive integer; each X is independently O or NH; each group R 4  is independently an optionally substituted alkylene, alkenylene or arylene group; and R 5  is hydrogen or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl or aralkyl group provided that n is not 0 when R 5  is hydrogen. 
 
     
     
         7 . A composition according to  claim 1  wherein component (b) comprises an alkoxylated compound. 
     
     
         8 . A composition according to  claim 6  wherein each X is O, n is 20 to 100, R 5  is hydrogen and each R 4  is a C2 to C4 alkylene group. 
     
     
         9 . A derivatised surfactant comprising the reaction product of:
 (a) an epoxidised carboxylic acid ester;   (b) a compound including at least one reactive alcohol and/or amino functional group; and   (c) a derivatising agent.   
     
     
         10 . A method of preparing a derivatised surfactant, the method comprising 
 (i) reacting (a) an epoxidised carboxylic acid ester with (b) a compound including at least one reactive alcohol and/or amino functional group; and   (ii) reacting the reaction product of step (i) with (c) a derivatising agent.   
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 10  wherein reaction with component (c) introduces a polar functional group into the derivatised surfactant. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 11  wherein the polar functional group may be selected from anionic, non-ionic or cationic functional groups. 
     
     
         13 . A method according to 42claim 10 wherein component (c) comprises a compound of formula (III):
                       wherein p is 0 or a positive integer, each X 3  is independently O or NR 11 , X 4  is O or NR 12 , each R 9  is independently an optionally substituted alkylene, alkenylene or arylene group, and each of R 10 , R 11  and R 12  is hydrogen or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl or aralkyl group.   
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 10  which involves the steps of: 
 (i) reacting (a) an epoxidised carboxylic acid ester with (b) a compound including at least one reactive alcohol and/or amino functional group; 
 (ii) reacting the reaction product of step (i) with (c) a derivatising agent comprising a compound including at least one reactive alcohol or amino functional group and one tertiary amino group; and 
 (iii)reacting the reaction product of step (ii) with (d) a quaternising agent. 
 
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 10  wherein component (c) comprises a sulfonating agent. 
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 10  wherein component (c) comprises a hydrolysis agent. 
     
     
         17 . A composition comprising a surfactant or derivatised surfactant as claimed in  claim 1  and one or more further components. 
     
     
         18 . The use of the reaction product of:
 (a) an epoxidised carboxylic acid ester;   (b) a compound including at least one reactive alcohol and/or amino functional group; and optionally   (c) a derivatising agent; 
 as a surfactant. 
     
     
         19 . The use according to  claim 18  as a dispersant in the fields of inks, paints, pigment preparations, dispersions, detergents, personal care, toiletries, agrochemicals, oilfields, lubricants, fuels, coatings, cosmetics or emulsion polymers.