CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of priority to US Provisional Patent Application Serial Number 62/173386, filed June 10, 2015, entitled "SOME ALCOHOL ETHOXYLES, THEIR APPLICATION AND USE." The aforementioned application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to surfactants and dispersants and their typical use in spreading water and agents onto surfaces of crops.

BACKGROUND ART

Currently there are various manufacturers who produce surfactants utilizing branched alcohols and other non linear alcohols as the hydrophobic component of a surfactant. Tergitol™ TMN surfactants produced by The DOW Chemical Company (headquartered in Midland, Michigan, USA) are such surfactants in which the molecule is proclaimed to be a " branched secondary alcohol ethoxylate". BASF (headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany), produce a range of non ionic surfactants, referred to as "Lutensol ^® " in which the hydrophobic portion is in some a tridecyl alcohol (series Lutensol ^® TDA), and in some is a Guerbet alcohol (series XL and XP). Series XL, XA and XP are Guerbet alcohol based, branched, surfactants. Lutensol ^® Series ON is made of branched C10 alcohol. Sasol® produces Marlipal® 013 series surfactants which employs isotridecanol (branched alcohol) as the hydrophobic component, some of which can lower the surface tension of water in standard conditions to below 30 imN/m (imilliNewton/meter). Surfactants based on ethoxylated oxo alcohols as shown in US patent application 2004/0009889A1 , also promote a low surface tension in water (see example 5).

Use of surfactants as insecticides/acaricide

Surfactants in general and specifically silicone surfactants are used to control insect pests and spider mites. For example "The use of Agrinse 7, a silicone based surfactant, to control surface pests on harvested California 'Bing' sweet cherries", A report of the California cherry advisory board, October 2006, Tiffanie Simpson, Veronique Bikoba, Jim Hansen, and Elizabeth Mitcham Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USDA ARS Wapato, WA.

Also, "Insecticidal activity of surfactants and oils against silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii) nymphs (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on collards and tomato". Tong-Xian Liui and Philip A Stansly, Pest Management Science 56:861 -866 (2000).

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, ethoxylated alcohol surfactants capable of decreasing the surface tension of water at ordinary atmospheric conditions to a value that equals to or which falls below 30 dynes/cm (= 30 imN/m, imilliNewton/meter) are used in combination with tetra ethyl ortho-silicate (TEOS). Such surfactants are referred to hereinafter as LSTAEs (low surface tension alcohol ethoxilates) and alone or in combination with other surfactants, are utilized as control agents together with TEOS against some insects and or spider mites. The implementation of the invention involves several possible variations relating to several aspects of the combination of components that make up a product embodying the invention. The number of components and the nature of the components that can be utilized in the making up of a product is diverse but some will be described herein below.

Example 1.

A composition containing Tergitol™ TMN 3 which is a secondary ethoxylated alcohol surfactant as proclaimed by its producer, Dow chemical company. At the company's earlier technical sheets the product was to cause a surface tension of water to decrease to 26-27 dynes/cm at 0.1 %, which makes it, according to the technical sheet "fluoro carbon surfactant alternative". This surfactant is very sparsely soluble in water. Therefore a more water soluble surfactant was added to 73 grams of Tergitol™ TMN 3 (a LSTAE), in the form of 185 grams of Tergitol™ 15 - S 7 (Dow Chemical Company), and both were mixed into 750 grams of TEOS. This mixture was stable and could later on be mixed with water and sprayed. However, the Tergitol™ TMN 3 while not soluble in water, is dispersible by the TEOS, and therefore a composition containing only TEOS and the Tergitol™ TMN 3 can be dispersed in water without the addition of a more water soluble surfactant. A comparison of activity with or without the addition of the more water soluble surfactant was not carried out.

Example 2.

A composition containing a mixture of 7.40 grams of Lutensol® FT XP 30 (a LSTAE), Tergitol™ 15 - S 9 (18.40 grams and TEOS (74.20 grams), was stirred. The resulting product had to be filtered once to rid of a precipitant. Example 3

A composition including a mixture of 10 mis of the mixture in example 1 , and 10 mis of the mixture in example 2.

The product of example 1 was tested as an agent against spider mites (Tetranychus urticae), sprayed at 0.2% in water. A substantial control of the mites was obtained. The product of example 2 when sprayed on crops infected with spider mites also exhibited appreciable control over the pests.

In another aspect, the respective products of example 1 and 2 or equivalents thereof can be used as fertilizers of silicon, typically for cereals or strawberry. In general such products can be used as fertilizer for silicon (Si) in such places and or crops in which silicon fertilization is considered to be beneficial.

In yet another aspects, combinations as described above can be used more general purpose serfactantes and dispersants awing to the good dispersing activity of TEOS in water. Also such products are expected to be environmental friendly due to their degradation in the ienvironment.