Abstract: By conducting a sulfonation step for bringing a fatty acid alkyl ester into contact with a sulfonating gas in the presence of a coloring inhibitor to sulfonate the fatty acid alkyl ester, an esterification step for esterifying the product of the sulfonation step with a lower alcohol, a neutralization step for neutralizing the esterified product of the esterification step to obtain a neutralized product, a bleaching step for bleaching the neutralized product to obtain a bleached product, and preferably an optional deodorization step for deodorizing the bleached product, the production process can be simplified and &agr;-sulfofatty acid alkyl ester salts which have a pale color close to white and preferably have less odor can be obtained.

Abstract: A high concentration slurry of olefin sulfonates containing at least 50% by weight of internal olefin sulfonates having a low viscosity is prepared by incorporating thereinto (i) at least one hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of paraffins, olefins, and aromatic hydrocarbons having 6 to 24 carbon atoms and (ii) 1% to 40% by weight of water.

Abstract: Light colored homogeneous and aqueous alpha olefin sulfonate solutions wherein about 10 to about 30 wt. % of the sulfonate contained in said alpha olefin sulfonate solutions is 4-hydroxyalkane sulfonate.

Abstract: Clear and homogeneous aqueous olefin sulfonate solutions having no turbidity and suitable for use, as an active ingredient, in synthetic detergents. These solutions contains (i) 20 through 45% by weight of olefin sulfonate, (ii) 0.1 through 5 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the olefin sulfonate, of component A selected from the group consisting of (a) aliphatic polycarboxylates having carbon atoms of 2 through 6, (b) benzoates and (c) benzene carboxylates having at least one substituent selected from hydroxyl group and sulfonic group, and (iii) 1 through 10 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the olefin sulfonate, of component B selected from the group consisting of monocarboxylate having carbon atoms of 1 through 3 and gluconates.

Abstract: A homogeneous aqueous alpha-olefin sulfonate composition, which does not form "liquid crystal" due to temperature change and/or with the lapse of time, is presented. This composition contains, as a "liquid crystal" formation inhibitor, approximately 1 to approximately 10 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the alpha-olefin sulfonate, of at least one additive selected from the group consisting of allyl sulfonic acid, methallyl sulfonic acid, sorbic acid, gluconic acid, malic acid and the salts of said acids.