Quaternary ammonium salt, method for production thereof, and softener composition using salt

摘要

A novel quaternary ammonium salt fit for a softening basis which excels in softness and enjoys high biodegradability and a liquid composition of softener composition exhibiting fully satisfactory quality in terms of softness and stability in storage, excelling in biodegradability, and behaving gently to the natural environment. A quaternary ammonium salt represented by the general formula (1), a liquid composition of softener composition comprising 3 to 40% by weight of the quaternary ammonium salt and the balance of water, and a method for the production of the composition: (wherein R<1>, R<2>, and R<3> stand for an alkyl group or hydroxyalkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R<4> and R<5> stand for an optionally hydroxyl group-substituted linear or branched alkyl group or alkenyl group of 8 to 36 carbon atoms, A stands for a linear or branched alkylene group of 2 or 3 carbon atoms, X stands for an anion group, n stands for an integer in the range of 1 to 6, and m stands for a numeral in the range of 0 to 20).