Marvin M. Crutchfield

Organic builders: A review of worldwide efforts to find organic replacements for detergent phosphates

Continuing pressures to reduce phosphates in wastewaters have sustained an intensive worldwide search to develop acceptable substitutes. Organic polycarboxylate salts have been most extensively investigated because there are a large number of structural possibilities, and the possibility for biodegradation to innocuous CO2 and H2O offers an optimal answer to most environmental questions. In addition to testing known compounds, many novel structures have been synthesized in efforts to tailor materials with optimum properties. Stringent requirements for functional effectiveness, human safety, environmental acceptability, practical processability, and acceptable costs have limited the number of viable alternatives. Compounds that have been proposed are reviewed with particular attention to recent developments.

Quantitative applications of high-resolution proton magnetic resonance measurements in the characterization of detergent chemicals

Quantitative hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance measurements are used for the determination of average structures of detergent chemicals. For alkylbenzenes, alkylphenols, and ethylene oxide (EO) adducts of alkylphenols, the following quantities can be measured: average lengths of alkyl chains, average molecular weights, degree and kind of branching in the alkyl chain, ortho-para distribution of aryl substituents, and average lengths of BO chains. Accuracy is of the the order of ± 2% of the total hydrogen. The method is nondestructive, and sample volumes as small as 0.007 ml have been used.

ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS 70 PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF NEW PHOSPHORUS CONTAINING CHELATING AGENTS FOR CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM IONS

Abstract Dedicated to Professor Martin Schmeisser on the occasion of his 65th birthday. Several phosphonic acids of the type H2O3PCH2OCHRCO2H, R = H, CH3, CO2H; [H2O3P(CH2)x]2 Y, x = 1, 2; Y = O, S; and [o-H2O3P(CH2)]2C6H4 have been synthesized and their capacity to chelate with calcium has been determined.

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonates in the prevention of vagrant dye pick-up on polyester textile fabric during laundering

The unwanted pick-up of low levels of vagrant dyes during washing of textile fabrics can be a significant contributor to long-term polyester appearance degradation. Fabric appearance loss from pick-up of small quantities of a standard yellow dye are measured on both optically brightened and unbrightened polyester. Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) surfactant micelles act as effective dye scavengers, reducing the level of dye pick-up by the fabric substantially. The efficacy of LAS as a dye scavenger is quantified as a function of alkyl chain length and use concentration. Dye scavenging ability per unit weight of LAS increases with increasing molecular weight and decreasing critical micelle concentration (cmc). Dye scavenging of up to 80% of the transferable dye is achieved at high LAS concentrations. Results with C9, C11, C13 and C15 single homolog alkyl chain lengths, and with several mixed chain length blends are presented.