Abstract: In light colored surfactants produced by sulfonation of fatty acid alkyl esters with less than 2 moles of SO.sub.3 per mole of fatty acid alkyl ester and subsequent work-up of the crude sulfonate in aqueous medium to form salts, the content of .alpha.-sulfofatty acid disalts is regulated and reduced by transesterifying the sulfonation product before its treatment with an aqueous medium with at least about 0.5 mole equivalent of an alcohol, based on the SO.sub.3 which is not for .alpha.-sulfonation.

Abstract: A process for the isolation and purification of essentially fatty acid mixtures, which in addition to the methyl branched fatty acids contain saturated and unsaturated, respectively straight chain as well as methyl branched, unsaturated fatty acids, in which the industrial fatty acid mixtures are first hydrogenated by catalysis and then the methyl branched saturated fatty acids are separated, and in which before the hydrogenation if necessary, a separation by the hydrophilization process is provided, this process produces the desired products with a high yield and purity.

Abstract: The invention is cleaning compositions containing Polyethylene-glycol ethers of the formulaR.sub.1 --(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n --R.sub.2 (1)in whichR.sub.1 is a straight-chain or branched alkyl- or alkenyl radical having from 20 to 28 carbon atomsR.sub.2 is an alkyl radical having from 4 to 8 carbon atoms and n is an integer from about 6 to about 20as a foam-suppressing additive. The cleaning compositions are stable over a broad temperature range and having low foaming characteristics particularly at about ambient temperatures.

Abstract: Terminally blocked polyethoxylated fatty alcohols of the formula:R--O--(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n --R.sup.1 (I)wherein R is a linear or branched alkyl or alkenyl group having from 6 to 28 carbon atoms, R.sub.1 is a linear alkyl group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and n is an integer having a value of from 2 to 12 are used as anti-foaming additives in the manufacture and/or processing of food stuffs as well as in fermentation processes.

Abstract: Mixtures of alkyl glycosides and fatty alcohols are readily separated by distillation without thermal degradation of glycoside. In the presence of one or more viscosity-reducing agents which are heat-stable and color-stable at temperatures of up to 160.degree. C., which are miscible with the alkyl glycosides, which have a boiling point at 760 mbar at least 50.degree. C. above the boiling point of the fatty alcohol present in the mixture, and reduce the viscosity of the mixture to at most 10,000 mPas at the distillation temperature. The fatty alcohols are quantitatively separated off from this mixture by distillation in customary distillation apparatus at a temperature at least 20.degree. C. below the thermal decomposition point of the alky glycosides and under pressures of from 1 to 10.sup.-3 bar.

Abstract: A highly effective surfactant mixture which is liquid at room temperature comprising:(1) from 50 to 84.degree. C. by weight ether alcohol corresponding to the general formulaR.sub.1 --O--[PO].sub.0-3 [EO].sub.6-8 H,(2) from 10 to 40% by weight ether alcohol corresponding to the formulaR.sub.2 --O--[PO].sub.0-3 [EO].sub.3-6 H,(3) from 0 to 10% by weight ethoxylation products of polyols which may be obtained by reaction of C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 1,2-epoxides with ethylene glycol, glycerol, trimethylol propane or neopentyl glycol,(4) from 0.1 to 10% by weith of an amino alcohol selected from(A)R.sub.3 --[EO].sub.0-4 N(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH).sub.2,orR.sub.3 --[EO].sub.0-4 NH--CH.sub.2 CHOH(B) the reaction product of C.sub.12 -C.sub.

Abstract: A foam inhibitor mixture of compounds corresponding to the following formulae: ##STR1## in which R represents a glycerol residue, trimethylol ethane residue, trimethylol propane residue or a polyglycerol residue having a degree of polymerization x of from 2 to 6 and the indices y=(x-z+2), z=(x-y+2), a=1 to 15, b=50 to 250, c=1 to 15, d=50 to 250 and e=1 to 15, with the proviso that the sums (a+c+e)=2 to 20, (b+d)=50 to 250 and (c+e)=1 to 15 and y has a value of at least 1; R.sup.1 represents a straight-chain or branched-chain alkyl or alkenyl radical containing from 8 to 20 C-atoms or an aromatic alkyl radical containing from 12 to 20 C-atoms, R.sup.2 represents an alkyl radical containing from 3 to 8 C-atoms and n is a number of from 4 to 30. The mixture preferably contains from 99 to 70% by weight of the block polymer (I) and from 1 to 30% by weight of the emulsifier (II).

Abstract: Benzoyl alanines having the formula: ##STR1## in which the symbols R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 (a) both represent hydrogen or(b) both represent a straight-chain or branched chain alkyl residue having from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, or(c) R.sup.1 represents hydrogen and R.sup.2 represents a straight-chain or branched chain alkyl residue having from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms and in which the symbol R.sup.3 represents a C(CH.sub.3).sub.m (CH.sub.2 OH).sub.3-m moiety wherein the symbol m represents an integer of from 0 to 3and alkali metal and ammonium salts thereof, are disclosed.The compounds are useful as corrosion-inhibitors for metals in aqueous systems.

Abstract: Water-soluble corrosion-inhibiting mixtures containing(a) one or more ammonium salts of fatty acids corresponding to the following general formula ##STR1## in which n=1 or 2 while R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 may be the same or different and represent hydrogen, unbranched or branched C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 alkyl groups, C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 hydroxyalkylene groups or C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 aminoalkylene groups and R.sup.5 represents C.sub.6 -C.sub.10 alkyl groups, and(b) one or more polyol fatty acids and/or salts thereof corresponding to the following general formula ##STR2## in which R.sup.6 is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.19 alkyl or alkylene group and R.sup.7 represents an organic residue formed from a dihydroxy or polyhydroxy compound by elimination of a hydroxyl group, M.sup.(+) =H.sup.(+), Na.sup.(+), K.sup.(+) or an ammonium ion [R.sup.1 R.sup.2 R.sup.3 R.sup.4 N].sup.

Abstract: In light colored surfactants produced by sulfonation of fatty acid alkyl esters with less than 2 moles of SO.sub.3 per mole of fatty acid alkyl ester and subsequent work-up of the crude sulfonate in aqueous medium to form salts, the content of .alpha.-sulfofatty acid disalts is regulated and reduced by transesterifying the sulfonation product before its treatment with an aqueous medium with at least about 0.5 mole equivalent of an alcohol, based on the SO.sub.3 which is not for .alpha.-sulfonation.

Abstract: C.sub.8 -C.sub.40 Alcohols, or C.sub.8 -.sub.C 40 alcohol containing one or more hydroxyl groups and onto which up to 20 moles of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide can be added per mole of alcohol, when added to aqueous industrial anionic surfactant concentrates, particularly concentrates of .alpha.-sulfofatty acid esters containing at least 50% by weight of the sodium salt of .alpha.-sulfofatty acid ester, significantly improve the rheological behavior thereof. The alcohols are added in quantities of from about 1 to about 15% by weight, based on the quantity of surfactant, whereupon the viscosity of the surfactant concentrate becomes at most 10,000 mPas at 70.degree. C.