ZWITTERIONIC POLYAMINES AND A PROCESS FOR THEIR PRODUCTION

摘要

A zwitterionic polyamine comprising a linear or branched hydrophobic polyami ne backbone having 2 to 10 tertiary amino nitrogen atoms and a spacer between t wo tertiary nitrogen atoms wherein the spacer is, for example selected from C8- C16-alkylene, C5-C15-cyloalkylene, wherein in formula (IV) R = C1- to C22- alkyl or C7-C22-aralkyl and n = 3 to 6, at least one tertiary amine end grou p of the polyamine backbone contains two groups having formula (V) or (VI), wherein A means an ethylene oxide unit, a propylene oxide unit, a unit of butylene oxides and a tetrahydrofuran unit, n is a number of from 1 to 50, X is an anionic group such as -SO3M, with the proviso that in formula (VI) one X may also be hydrogen and M is hydrogen, alkali metal or ammonium, or contain s one group of formula (V) or (VI) and one group selected from radicals consisting of formula (VII), C1- to C22-alkyl and C7-C22-aralkyl, the meanin g of A and n is the same as in formula (V) or (VI), said zwitterionic polyetherpolyamine having a molecular weight up to 9000 and optionally containing up to 100 % of the nitrogen atoms quaternized, and a process for the production of zwitterionic polyamines by alkoxylating said polyamines, introducing anionic groups into the alkoxylated polyamines and optionally quaternizing them before or after the introduction of anionic groups. The zwitterionic polyamines are used in detergents.