Synthesis, Characterization, and Toxicological Properties of New Cationic Bleach Activators

Abstract

AbstractThree new bleach activators for cotton containing pyridinium (PBBC), nicotinamido (NABBC), and 3‐methylpyridinium (3‐PBBC) cationic groups were synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR and HPLC–mass spectrometry. They were then applied to cotton fabric in a bleaching process and evaluated for their performance against the prototype N‐[4‐(triethylammoniomethyl)benzoyl]butyrolactam chloride (TBBC) at a relatively low bleaching temperature (55 °C) and pH 8.5. Measurement of Commission internationale de l’éclairage (International Commission on Illumination) (CIE) whiteness index (WI) values showed that PBBC (WI = 64), NABBC (WI = 58), and 3‐PBBC (WI = 71) impart a significant increase in CIE whiteness compared to a control sample (WI = 40). Among the three new activators, 3‐PBBC exhibited the best performance. Its WI was comparable to that of fabric bleached using the prototype bleach activator TBBC. The acute toxicity of TBBC and the new bleach activators was evaluated using the microcrustacean Daphnia similis. The chronic toxicity of TBBC and 3‐PBBC was evaluated using the green alga Raphidocelis subcapitata, and mutagenicity was evaluated in the Salmonella/microsome assay using the strain TA100. 3‐PBBC was 86 times less toxic to D. similis, 18 times less toxic to R. subcapitata, and 10 times less mutagenic to TA100 in comparison with TBBC.