Washing powders and the environment: has TAED any influence on the complexing behaviour of phosphonic acids?

Abstract : Complexation properties of two phosphonic acids: nitrilotris (methylenephosphonic acid) and 1-hydroxyethane-1,10-diphosphonic acid, with Cu(II) and Ca(II) have been previously determined by pH and ionic selective electrode titrations. These phosphonic acids are commonly added to washing powders as polyphosphate substitutes and are here studied in the presence of another detergent compound: tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED), a bleaching activator. Product concentrations were chosen in order to correspond to component concentration ratios encountered in washing powders. Potentiometric titrations were carried out to determine the possible TAED interferences; they indicate that TAED and its by-products have no action on phosphonic acid complexing behaviour. Under our experimental conditions, the action of TAED was modelled with acetic acid and ethylenediamine, the final by-products of TAED hydrolysis. If we take into account both phosphonic and acetic acids, speciation diagrams corresponding to representative fresh water systems showed that the acetic acid does not influence cation speciation.