Why are/were phosphates put in laundry detergents ?

ch...@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca

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Jan 13, 1992, 11:34:15 PM1/13/92

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Hi. With all the hype about concentrated detergents lately, I bewcame
curious as to why phosphates were put in laundry detergents
in the first place? Any ideas? Thanks very much. Marsh
Internet: CH...@UWPG02.UWINNIPEG.CA

v136...@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu

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Jan 14, 1992, 9:39:00 AM1/14/92

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In article <13JAN92....@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca>, ch...@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca writes...

Just a few comments.

DNA, RNA, and all phosolipids are built by phosphates.
(ie ATP)

I guess they figrued it was safe.

There is also something about their reactivity
which I'm sure someone will provide.
(Phosphates are prabably readily avaiable and cheep)

Dave Jones 253-1987

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Jan 14, 1992, 9:35:55 AM1/14/92

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Phosphate based detergents (long carbon chains with PO4 at the end)
don't combine with dissolved metal ions to form precipitates the way
traditional soaps (sodium salts of fatty acids) do.

--
| Dave Jones (d...@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com) --------------------------|
| Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY 14653-7300 |
| C++ will do for C what Algol-68 did for Algol! -----------------|

Jeff Forbes

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Jan 14, 1992, 11:47:48 AM1/14/92

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In article <13JAN92....@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca> ch...@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca writes:

Sodium Tripolyphosphate has several uses in cleaning agents. It softens
the water by sequestering calcium and magnesium without precipitation. It
acts as an emulsifier and dispersing agent. Other phosphates may be used
as builders.

Jeff Forbes

"....I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
Thomas Edison

Greg Harvey

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Jan 14, 1992, 5:53:17 PM1/14/92

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In <1992Jan14....@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> for...@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Jeff Forbes) writes:

>In article <13JAN92....@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca> ch...@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca writes:
>>Hi. With all the hype about concentrated detergents lately, I bewcame
>>curious as to why phosphates were put in laundry detergents
>>in the first place? Any ideas? Thanks very much. Marsh
>>Internet: CH...@UWPG02.UWINNIPEG.CA

>Sodium Tripolyphosphate has several uses in cleaning agents. It softens
>the water by sequestering calcium and magnesium without precipitation. It
>acts as an emulsifier and dispersing agent. Other phosphates may be used
>as builders.

>Jeff Forbes

BECAUSE...phosphates make great hydrophilic groups, especially
when combined with larger hydrophobics (organics, for the most part.)
This chemistry is the basis of surfactants, which I think are
best classified as a subset of detergents. We used surfactants
to simulate cells for interesting energy formation and quenching
experiments (none of which I could get to work) at Texas A&M in
the mid-80's. Take a little detergent mix with your favorite
metal ion, and sonicate it until it forms nice, homogeneous, tiny
bubbles. Pass the solution through any variety of ion-quenchers
(well, I called them that...my chemistry has long since left me)
and voila...ion in a bubble.

Anyway...the why of emulsification is a single molecule with
hydrophilic (likes water) group(s) on one end and hydrophobic
group(s) on the other end.

--
Greg Harvey Lockheed Engineering & Sciences Company
Internet(yucky path): <@aio.jsc.nasa.gov:gwha...@lescsse.jsc.nasa.gov>
Houston, Texas +1 713 283 5188