Emulsification of hydrophobic organophosphorous compounds

1. A composition comprising an emulsion, the emulsion comprising at least one polymeric surfactant, water and at least one hydrophobic organophosphorous compound selected from the group consisting of:

wherein

each R1 is independently a monovalent aryl, arylalkyl, or alkyl substituent containing up to 20 carbon atoms,

each R3 is independently a monovalent aryl, arylalkyl, alkyl, hydrogen, phosphate ester, silyl, or phosphonate ester substituent containing up to 20 carbon atoms;

each R2 is independently a divalent aryl, arylalkyl, or alkyl substituent containing up to 20 carbon atoms;

R1, R3 and R2 each optionally include one or more heteroatoms in the substituents; and

n is from 1 to 100;

wherein

each R1 is independently a monovalent aryl, arylalkyl, or alkyl substituent containing up to 20 carbon atoms,

each R3 is independently a monovalent aryl, arylalkyl, alkyl, hydrogen, phosphate ester, silyl, or phosphonate ester substituent containing up to 20 carbon atoms;

each R2 is independently a divalent aryl, arylalkyl, or alkyl substituent containing up to 20 carbon atoms;

R1, R3 and R2 each optionally include one or more heteroatoms in the substituents; and

n is from 1 to 100; and

wherein

R1 and R2 are independently monovalent aryl, arylalkyl, alkyl, hydrogen, phosphate ester, silyl, or phosphonate ester substituents containing up to 20 carbon atoms;

each R3 and R4 are independently monovalent aryl, arylalkyl, or alkyl substituents containing up to 20 carbon atoms;

R5 is a divalent aryl, arylalkyl, or alkyl substituent containing up to 20 carbon atoms;

each R6 and R7 are independently divalent aryl, arylalkyl, or alkyl substituents containing up to 20 carbon atoms;

R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, and R7 each optionally include one or more heteroatoms in the substituents;

m is from 1 to 100; and

n is from 1 to 100,

wherein the emulsion is an oil-in-water emulsion, and

wherein the at least one hydrophobic organophosphorous compound forms the oil of the oil in water emulsion.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion comprises at least about 1% by weight of the at least one polymeric surfactant and up to about 80% by weight of the organophosphorous compound.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion further comprises at least one salt or additional surfactant.

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion further comprises at least one salt in an amount of approximately 0.1 to about 5% by weight of the emulsion.

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion has an average dispersed phase drop size of less than about 5 micron after 6 months.

6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion has an average dispersed phase drop size of less than about 1 micron after 6 months.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the content of organophosphorous compound in the emulsion is from about 40% by weight to a concentration corresponding to that in which phase inversion occurs in the emulsion.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one organophosphorous compound is the compound of Formula (I), and wherein:

R1 is a phenyl group, R2 is a phenyl group covalently bonded in the 1 and 3 position, R3 is a diphenyl phosphate, and n is from 1 to 7;

R1 is a phenyl group, R2 is a 1,1-dimethyl-1,1-di(4′-phenyl) that is covalently bonded in the 1′ positions, R3 is a diphenyl phosphate, and n is from 1 to 7;

R1 is a phenyl group, R2 is a mixture of ethyl and phenyl groups, R3 is a diphenyl phosphate, and n is from 1 to 7;

R1 is a methyl group, R2 is a phenyl group that is covalently bonded in the 1 and 3 position, R3 is an acetyl group, and n is from 1 to 15; or

R1 is an isopropyl group, R2 is an octyl group, R3 is a hydrogen, and n is from 1 to 8.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one organophosphorous compound is the compound of Formula (II), and wherein:

R1 is a methyl group, R2 is a phenyl group covalently bonded in the 1 and 3 position, R3 is a hydrogen, and n is from 1 to 10;

R1 is a methyl group, R2 is a phenyl group covalently bonded in the 1 and 3 position, R3 is an acetyl group, and n is from 1 to 10;

R1 is a phenyl group, R2 is a phenyl group covalently bonded in the 1 and 3 positions, R3 is a silyl group, and n is from 1 to 20; or

R1 is a hydroxymethyl group, R2 is a phenyl group covalently bonded in the 1 and 4 positions, and n is from 1 to 15.

10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion comprises from about 1% to about 40% by weight of the at least one polymeric surfactant and from about 40% to about 80% by weight of the organophosphorous compound.

11. The composition of claim 10 , wherein the emulsion comprises from about 1% to about 10% by weight of the at least one polymeric surfactant.

12. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one polymeric surfactant is selected from the group consisting of silicone-based surfactants, polyoxypropylene-based surfactants, graft copolymers of polysaccharides, and combinations thereof.

13. The composition of claim 12 , wherein the at least one polymeric surfactant comprises a polyoxypropylene-based surfactant.

14. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion further comprises at least one secondary surfactant selected from the group consisting of an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, a non-polymeric non-ionic surfactant, a further polymeric surfactant, and combinations thereof.

15. The composition of claim 14 , wherein the at least one polymeric surfactant accounts for about 25% to about 100% by weight of the surfactant content in the emulsion and the at least one secondary surfactant accounts for up to about 75% by weight of the surfactant content in the emulsion.