CatOnium quaternary ammonium salts are cationic surfactants with extensive use in fabric softening, hair care formulations, disinfectants, organoclays, and as phase transfer catalysts.

Three household product types are manufactured by the use of CatOnium quaternary ammonium salts: rinse cycle softeners; tumbler dryer sheets; and detergent containing softeners. Typical rinse cycle softeners contain 3-8% CatOnium salts. When used in tumble dryer sheets, the major role of CatOnium salts next to the softening effect is to prevent static charge build up on the clothes during drying and wear. CatOnium salts are also incorporated in detergents when they are mixed with the other ingredients. The major benefits of such detergents are fabric softening, ease of ironing and prevention of build up of static charge on the clothes.

CatOnium salts are also used as active ingredients in hare care formulations such as creme rinses and shampoo conditioners. They provide reduction of combing forces, increased hair luster, and improved antistatic properties.

Sanitation products are widely formulated by using CatOnium quaternary ammonium salts. Compared to other sanitizing chemicals such as phenols, organohalides and organomercurials, CatOnium salts are less irritating, have very low odor, and retain long activity. Disinfectants and sanitizers containing CatOnium salts are used in food and diary industry for sanitization of the processing equipment, hospitals, public buildings, cooling water applications, restaurants, food shops etc.

Modification of clays with CatOnium salts where the adsorbed cation is displaced by the quaternary ammonium salts results organo-modified clay that can be wet by organic liquids. Organoclays of this types are used as viscosity modifiers of nonaqueous liquids such as drilling fluids, greases, lubricants, and oil-based paints and coatings.

CatOnium quaternary ammonium and phosphonium salts are widely used as phase transfer catalysts. Phase transfer catalysis is a phenomenon of rate enhancement of a reaction between reactants located in different phases (immiscible liquids or solid and liquid) where the catalyst extracts one of the reactants, most commonly an anion, across the interface into the other phase so that reaction can proceed.

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Iniper organic peroxides possess one or more oxygen–oxygen bonds, which decompose thermally to produce two radicals. The rates of decompositions can be enhanced by specific promoters or activators being mostly multivalent metals such as iron, cobalt or vanadium. They significantly decrease the energy necessary to break the oxygen–oxygen bond. Such accelerated decompositions occur below the normal application temperatures of the peroxides usually resulting in generation of only one useful radical, instead of two.

Iniper Azo-initiators are symmetrical azonitrile compounds decomposing thermally by cleavage of the two carbon–nitrogen bonds to form two alkyl radicals and a nitrogen molecule. The resulting tert-alkyl radicals are generally more stable than most of the radicals generated from peroxide initiators. In addition, these radicals do not abstract hydrogens from the polymer backbones, which results in formation of linear polymers since the branched grafting is suppressed.

Azonitrile decomposition rates show minor solvent effects and are not affected by transition metals, acids, bases, and many other components of the environment. These results in two advantages of azo-initiators; their decomposition rates predictable and they cane be used for curing resins that contain a variety of extraneous materials. A drawback of azonitriles over peroxides, however, is the formation of toxic tetrasubstituted succinonitrile derivatives due to recombination of the alkyl radicals.

Dibutyltin and monobutyltin compounds are used as esterification catalysts for the manufacture of organic esters and/or polyesters. Examples of simple organic esters include plasticizers, lubricants, and heat-transfer fluids. Polyesters produced by the use of organotin compounds are used as binders for formulating coatings for industrial use, or when modified with fatty acids they are used as binders for air drying coatings for decorative and protective applications. Dibutyltin compounds are also used as catalysts for transesterification and polycondensation of dimethyl terephthalate into polyethylene terephthalate or manufacturing of high molecular weight copolyester elastomers. The use of these materials is either in packaging applications or engineering plastics.

The esterification reactions catalyzed by organotin compounds require temperatures above 200°C, which is much higher than those involving strong acid catalysts, such as p-toluenesulfonic acid. Though, number of advantages justifies the use of organotin catalysts. The side reactions are minimized so the end products have better color and odor properties because fewer by-products are formed, there is no need for refining to remove the catalyst residues and the equipment corrosion is eliminated. Usual levels of tin catalysts are 0.05–0.3 wt % based on the total reactants charged.

Vicura crosslinkers alone or in combination with ViaCat catalysts are used as curing agents for both liquid and powder coatings. Resins suitable to be combined with Vicura crosslinkers contain carboxyl, hydroxyl or epoxy groups.

With right resin choice and corresponding Vicura crosslinker coatings with desired storage stability, pot-life, curing temperature, curing speed, flow behavior, mechanical properties, chemical resistance and wheatherability can be formulated.

Products in which Vicura and ViaCat crosslinkers and catalysts are used include polyester powder coatings for indoor and outdoor application, functional epoxy powder coatings, 2 component acrylic coatings for car repair and liquid epoxy coatings for corrosion protection.