METHOD AND COMPOSITION FOR THICKENING OR STABILIZING ELECTROLYTE CONTAINING AQUEOUS MEDIA WITH POLYAMPHOTERIC POLYSACCHARIDES

摘要

This invention provides a method for thickening or stabilizing acqueous media and electrolyte-containing aqueous media comprising the addition to the media of neutrally-charged polyampholytes which are graft copolymers of polysaccharides with a zwitterionic monomer or cationic/anionic monomer pairs. These polyampholytes are characterized by water dispersibility and resistance to loss of intrinsic viscosity in the presence of electrolytes in aqueous media. This invention also extends to polyamphoteric an inverse emulsion (water-in-oil) method for preparing these polyampholytes and to a novel polyampholyte composition prepared from guar gum that is useful as a thickener and stabilizer in electrolyte-containing aqueous media.