Gas hydrate inhibitors

A method for inhibiting formation of hydrocarbon hydrates in a mixture comprising water and hydrate-forming guest molecules the method comprising:

• contacting the mixture with a composition under conditions effective to form the hydrocarbon hydrates in the absence of the composition, where
• the composition comprises a reaction product of a first reactant selected from the group consisting of amines, polyamines, alcohols and polyalcohols with a second, aldehyde reactant and, a third reactant selected from the group consisting of alcohols, polyalcohols, amides and polyamides, where the first and third reactants are different, where the reaction product comprises both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions;
• and
• the composition amount is effective in inhibiting formation of the hydrocarbon hydrates under the conditions,
• where the hydrate-forming guest molecule comprises one selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, ethylene, acetylene, propane, propylene, methylacetylene, n-butane, isobutane, 1-butene, trans-2-butene, cis-2-butene, isobutene, butene mixtures, isopentane, pentenes, natural gas, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, krypton, xenon, and mixtures thereof.

A hydrocarbon mixture inhibited against hydrocarbon hydrate formation in the presence of water, the hydrocarbon mixture comprising

• water;
• hydrate-forming guest molecules;
• and
• a composition, where
• the composition comprises a reaction product of a first reactant selected from the group consisting of amines, polyamines, alcohols and polyalcohols with a second, aldehyde reactant and, a third reactant selected from the group consisting of alcohols, polyalcohols, amides and polyamides, where the first and third reactants are different;
• and
• the composition amount is effective in inhibiting formation of the hydrocarbon hydrates in the composition.