Mucilaginous composition comprising salt of crosslinked carboxylic polymer and method of preparing same

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PREPARING A SMOOTH, NON-GRAINY MUCILAGINOUS COMPOSITION COMPRISING MIXING (A) A FINELY DIVIDED WATER-INSOLUBLE BUT WATER-SWELLABLE CROSS-LINKED CARBOXYLIC INTERPOLYMER HAVING AN AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE SMALLER THAN 100 MESH, SAID CROSS-LINKED INTERPOLYMER BEING DERIVED BY POLYMERIZING A MONOMERIC MIXTURE IN THE PRESENCE OF A FREE RADICAL CATALYST IN A HYDROCARBON SOLVENT HAVING SOLVENT ACTION ON THE MONOMERIC MIXTURE BUT SUBSTANTIALLY TO SOLVENT ACTION AND NO SWELLING ACTION ON THE RESULTING INTERPOLYMER, SAID MONOMERIC MIXTURE COMPRISING AS ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS (1) AT LEAST 25% BY WEIGHT OF AN ALPHA, BETA-MONOOLEFINICALLY UNSATURATED, ALIPHATIC CARBOXYLIC ACID HAVING FROM 3 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, (2) UP TO 75% BY WEIGHT OF A DIFFERENT MONOOLEFINIC MONOMER COPOLYMERIZABLE WITH SAID ACIDS, AND (3) NOT LESS THAN 0.1% NOR MORE THAN 6.0% BY WEIGHT BASED ON THE TOTAL POLYMERIZABLE MATERIAL OF A CROSS-LINKING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF POLYALLYL ETHERS OF PARENT POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOLS HAVING AT LEAST 4 CARBON ATOMS AND AT LEAST THREE ALCOHOLIC OH GROUPS, HEXAALLYL TRIMETHYLENE TRISULFONE, ALLYL BETA-ALLYLOXY PROPIONATE, METHYLENE BIS-ACRYLAMIDE, METHYLENE BISMETHACRYLAMIDE, 1,3,5-TRIACRYLYL TRIAZINE, AND TRIALLY CYANURATE, (B) WATER AND (C) A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE MONOVALENT BASE TO NEUTRALIZE 25 TO 85% OF THE CARBOXYL GROUPS IN SAID CARBOXYLIC INTERPOLYMER, THE RESULTING AQUEOUS MIXTURE CONTAINING 0.1 TO 10% OF THE INTERPOLYMER SALT, AND DISPERSING THE NEUTRALIZED INTERPOLYMER IN THE AQUEOUS MIXTURE UNTIL A SMOOTH, NONGRAINY MUCILAGINOUS COMPOSITION IS OBTAINED.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PREPARING A SMOOTH, NON-GRAINY MUCILAGINOUS COMPOSITION COMPRISING MIXING (A) A FINELY DIVIDED WATER-INSOLUBLE BUT WATER-SWELLABLE CROSS-LINKED CARBOXYLIC INTERPOLYMER HAVING AN AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE SMALLER THAN 100 MESH, SAID CROSS-LINKED INTERPOLYMER BEING DERIVED BY POLYMERIZING A MONOMERIC MIXTURE IN THE PRESENCE OF A FREE RADICAL CATALYST IN A HYDROCARBON SOLVENT HAVING SOLVENT ACTION ON THE MONOMERIC MIXTURE BUT SUBSTANTIALLY TO SOLVENT ACTION AND NO SWELLING ACTION ON THE RESULTING INTERPOLYMER, SAID MONOMERIC MIXTURE COMPRISING AS ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS (1) AT LEAST 25% BY WEIGHT OF AN ALPHA, BETA-MONOOLEFINICALLY UNSATURATED, ALIPHATIC CARBOXYLIC ACID HAVING FROM 3 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS, (2) UP TO 75% BY WEIGHT OF A DIFFERENT MONOOLEFINIC MONOMER COPOLYMERIZABLE WITH SAID ACIDS, AND (3) NOT LESS THAN 0.1% NOR MORE THAN 6.0% BY WEIGHT BASED ON THE TOTAL POLYMERIZABLE MATERIAL OF A CROSS-LINKING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF POLYALLYL ETHERS OF PARENT POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOLS HAVING AT LEAST 4 CARBON ATOMS AND AT LEAST THREE ALCOHOLIC OH GROUPS, HEXAALLYL TRIMETHYLENE TRISULFONE, ALLYL BETA-ALLYLOXY PROPIONATE, METHYLENE BIS-ACRYLAMIDE, METHYLENE BISMETHACRYLAMIDE, 1,3,5-TRIACRYLYL TRIAZINE, AND TRIALLY CYANURATE, (B) WATER AND (C) A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE MONOVALENT BASE TO NEUTRALIZE 25 TO 85% OF THE CARBOXYL GROUPS IN SAID CARBOXYLIC INTERPOLYMER, THE RESULTING AQUEOUS MIXTURE CONTAINING 0.1 TO 10% OF THE INTERPOLYMER SALT, AND DISPERSING THE NEUTRALIZED INTERPOLYMER IN THE AQUEOUS MIXTURE UNTIL A SMOOTH, NONGRAINY MUCILAGINOUS COMPOSITION IS OBTAINED.