Mercaptide Microemulsions for Low-Odor Water Compatibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy mercaptans exhibit a strong odor and immiscibility with water, limiting their use in various applications.
Innovation Solution
Transforming thiol groups in mercaptans into ionic thiolates to form mercaptide salts, which are solid and compatible with water, allowing the creation of mercaptide microemulsions with reduced odor and improved activity through increased interfacial area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If heavy mercaptans are used directly, then their chemical properties are useful for applications, but they exhibit strong odor and immiscibility with water
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the chemical form of mercaptans by converting thiol groups into ionic thiolates, creating mercaptide salts. This parameter change from neutral to ionic state fundamentally alters the properties: the mercaptide microemulsions eliminate the strong odor associated with mercaptans while simultaneously achieving improved compatibility with water, allowing formation of stable water-based formulations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates composite microemulsion systems containing mercaptide salts combined with water, alcohols, surfactants and dispersing agents. This composite approach allows the system to achieve properties that individual components cannot provide alone: the mercaptide provides the active chemical functionality without odor, while the combination with water and surfactants provides miscibility and stable microemulsion formation
2Object-affected harmful factors
If mercaptans are transformed into mercaptide salts, then odor is reduced and water compatibility improves, but the product form changes from liquid to solid
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transition by converting mercaptans from liquid state to mercaptide salts in solid state through ionic transformation. However, by forming microemulsions, the solid mercaptide salts are dispersed as fine particles throughout the liquid medium, creating a liquid-like product form that combines the odor-reduction benefits of solid mercaptides with the handling advantages of liquid formulations
3Reliability
If mercaptans are used, then their activity is high, but their immiscibility with water limits application scope
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces surfactants and dispersing agents as intermediary substances that mediate between the hydrophobic mercaptide core and the aqueous environment. These intermediaries have amphiphilic properties, with hydrophobic portions that interact with the mercaptide and hydrophilic portions that interact with water, thereby enabling the mercaptide microemulsions to maintain high activity while achieving complete miscibility with water
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The mercaptide microemulsions provide a new product form of heavy mercaptans with lower odor and enhanced compatibility with water, enabling their use in water-based formulations and applications such as mineral recovery, surface modification, and polymer functionalization.
Implementation Method 1
Transforming thiol groups in mercaptans into ionic thiolates to form mercaptide salts
Implementation Method 2
allowing for the preparation of water-based formulations with unique microstructures (microemulsions)
Implementation Method 3
combining the components which can include thiolates, water, alcohols, surfactants and dispersing agents
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides mercaptide microemulsions and methods for forming mercaptide microemulsions.