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These are formulations for thickened bleach.

 

Sodium hypochlorite solutions are widely used in both the domestic and institutional area where they provide comprehensive germicidal properties as well as the known bleaching effect.

Simple sodium hypochlorite bleach solutions are, however very thin. This makes it difficult to achieve direct and prolonged contact of the liquid bleach with non-horizontal surfaces requiring cleaning and sanitisation, eg the sides of a lavatory pan or drain/waste pipes. The thickening of a liquid bleach improves it's clinging power on vertical or inclined surfaces, allowing it to remain in contact with such surfaces much longer and, thereby, carry out its sanitising and cleaning function more efficiently.

The thickening of liquid bleaches is generally achieved by the use of surface active agents. The thickened bleaches will, therefore, also have a certain cleaning power attributable to those components.

The thickening of liquid bleaches also renders them easier to apply, less prone to dripping or splashing, and conveys to the consumers and impression of strength, all useful marketing points.

"Industrial" sodium hypochlorite used for the preparation of domestic bleach products generally contains approximately 16% of sodium hypochlorite itself, with an equivalent or slightly higher level of sodium chloride also being present. Because not all of sodium hypochlorite present is available for reaction purposes, it is very common to see the term "Available Chlorine" used to express the concentration of sodium hypochlorite liquors. Industrial sodium hypochlorite contains approximately 14-15% of available chlorine.

Domestic bleach products are prepared by dilution of the industrial sodium hypochloride, to available chloride levels ranging from 2% to 10%. A small amount of sodium hydroxide is generally added to aid its stability. This bleach can then be optionally thickened and/fragranced as required.

The performance of a combination of two surfactants, alkyl dimethyl amine oxide and ether sulphate will be dependant upon the formulation characteristics required.

The following guideline formulations for unfragranced thickened liquid bleaches and are suggested as a suitable starting points for any development work.

Unfragranced thickened liquid bleach

2% available Chlorine:

Product	Chemical Description	% W/W
APPROXIMATE VISCOSITY (cps)		100
Sodium Hypochlorite	Sodium Hypochlorite	13.8%
Sodium hydroxide	Sodium hydroxide	1.0%
AMMONYX LO	C12-C14 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide	2.0%
STEOL CS 230-KE	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	2.5%
Water	Aqua	balance

Product	Chemical Description	% W/W
APPROXIMATE VISCOSITY (cps)		200
Sodium Hypochlorite	Sodium Hypochlorite	13.8%
Sodium hydroxide	Sodium hydroxide	1.0%
AMMONYX LO	C12-C14 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide	2.5%
STEOL CS 230-KE	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	3.5%
Water	Aqua	balance

5% Available Chlorine

Product	Chemical Description	% W/W
Approx Viscosity(cps)		100
Sodium hypochlorite	Sodium Hypochlorite	34.5%
Sodium hydroxide	Sodium hydroxide	1.0%
AMMONYX LO	C12-C14 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide	3.2%
AMMONYX M	Myristamine Oxide	-
STEOL CS 230-KE	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	2.0%
STEOL BES27-D5	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	-
Water	Aqua	balance

Product	Chemical Description	% W/W
Approx Viscosity(cps)		200
Sodium hypochlorite	Sodium Hypochlorite	34.5%
Sodium hydroxide	Sodium hydroxide	1.0%
AMMONYX LO	C12-C14 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide	3.5%
AMMONYX M	Myristamine Oxide	-
STEOL CS 230-KE	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	2.3%
STEOL BES27-D5	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	-
Water	Aqua	balance

Product	Chemical Description	% W/W
Approx Viscosity(cps)		300
Sodium hypochlorite	Sodium Hypochlorite	34.5%
Sodium hydroxide	Sodium hydroxide	1.0%
AMMONYX LO	C12-C14 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide	-
AMMONYX M	Myristamine Oxide	5.0%
STEOL CS 230-KE	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	-
STEOL BES27-D5	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	1.5%
Water	Aqua	balance

Product	Chemical Description	% W/W
Approx Viscosity(cps)		400
Sodium hypochlorite	Sodium Hypochlorite	34.5%
Sodium hydroxide	Sodium hydroxide	1.0%
AMMONYX LO	C12-C14 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide	-
AMMONYX M	Myristamine Oxide	6.0%
STEOL CS 230-KE	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	-
STEOL BES27-D5	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	2.2%
Water	Aqua	balance

9% Available Chloride

Product	Chemical Description	% W/W
Approx. Viscosity(cps)		100
Sodium hypochlorite	Sodium Hypochlorite	62.0%
Sodium hydroxide	Sodium hydroxide	1.0%
AMMONYX LO	C12-C14 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide	4.5%
AMMONYX M	Myristamine Oxide	-
STEOL CS 230-KE	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	2.0%
STEOL BES27-D5	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	-
Water	Aqua	balance

Product	Chemical Description	% W/W
Approx. Viscosity(cps)		200
Sodium hypochlorite	Sodium Hypochlorite	62.0%
Sodium hydroxide	Sodium hydroxide	1.0%
AMMONYX LO	C12-C14 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide	5.5%
AMMONYX M	Myristamine Oxide	-
STEOL CS 230-KE	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	2.5%
STEOL BES27-D5	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	-
Water	Aqua	balance

Product	Chemical Description	% W/W
Approx. Viscosity(cps)		300
Sodium hypochlorite	Sodium Hypochlorite	62.0%
Sodium hydroxide	Sodium hydroxide	1.0%
AMMONYX LO	C12-C14 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide	-
AMMONYX M	Myristamine Oxide	4.5%
STEOL CS 230-KE	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	-
STEOL BES27-D5	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	0.8%
Water	Aqua	balance

Product	Chemical Description	% W/W
Approx. Viscosity(cps)		400
Sodium hypochlorite	Sodium Hypochlorite	62.0%
Sodium hydroxide	Sodium hydroxide	1.0%
AMMONYX LO	C12-C14 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide	-
AMMONYX M	Myristamine Oxide	5.5%
STEOL CS 230-KE	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	-
STEOL BES27-D5	Sodium Laureth Sulphate	1.2%
Water	Aqua	balance

Note:
The sodium hypochlorite is taken as containing 14.5% available chlorine.

The viscosity of the formulation is measured at 20^oC using brookfield RVT viscometer.

The following order mixing is recommended:

1. Water
2. Sodium hydroxide
3. AMMONYX LO or AMMONYX M
4. STEOL CS 230-KE OR STEOL BES27-D5
5. Sodium hypochlorite

A simple mixing system , providing homogeneous blending at each stage, should prove satisfactory.
Foam generation should preferably be kept to a minimum.

The high temperature cloud point of the formulated bleach can be taken as an indication of it's physical stability. It is recommended that a high temperature cloud point of 40^oC minimum be achieved, although a higher figure may be preferable on bleaches intended to be marketed in countries where the ambient temperatures are relatively high.

Formulators should ensure that the extended storage stability of each bleach is suitable for their market requirements. Fragranced thickened liquid bleaches can be produced by the incorporation of suitable chlorine stable perfumes.

The addition of the perfume can, however, significantly alter the stability characteristics of thickened bleach and normally adjustments have to be made to the amine oxide to ether sulphate ratio to accommodate perfume inclusion. Fragranced formulations generally contain more amine oxide than their unfragranced counterparts, the amine oxide aiding the solubilisation of the perfumes.

Each perfume, depending on its individual make-up, will affect any bleach formulation to a different degree. It is therefore difficult to offer general advice on thickened bleach formulations including perfumes.

Industrial sodium hypochlorite will vary in composition depending on the source of manufacture and thereby the characteristics of thickened bleaches produced from them will differ to some degree.

Each source of industrial sodium hypochlorite should therefore be examined for suitability in any particular thickened bleach formulation.

Sodium hypochlorite solutions are inherently unstable and slowly decompose with time. Certain factors, in particular the presence of metal such as iron, copper, nickel an cobalt, can accelerate and decomposition and it is important that the introduction of such metals into thickened bleaches, via either the raw materials or the manufacturing process, be kept to a minimum.


All quantities unless otherwise shown are stated as weight for weight.