Alkyl, poly(oxyethylene) poly(carbonyloxyethylene) acrylate emulsion copolymers for thickening purposes

A copolymer polymerized from a monomer system comprising

• (1) at least about 10 weight percent of a monomer or a monomer mixture selected from the group consisting of methacrylic acid, acrylic acid, itaconic acid, acryloxypropionic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, citraconic acid and crotonic acid;
• (2) about 0.5 to 25 weight percent of at least one monomer of the formula:
• H.sub.2 C.dbd.CH--C(O)--O--(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --C(O)--O--).sub.x (CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n R
• wherein:
• R is selected from the group consisting of alkyl, alkylaryl and polycyclic alkyl groups having 8 to 30 carbon atoms;
• x is a number from about 0.1 to about 10;
• n is a number of at least 2 and has an average value of up to 60 or more, from zero up to 50% of the (CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n units being substituted for by (CH.sub.2 CR.sup.1 HO).sub.m units wherein
• R.sup.1 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.2 alkyl and m is a number of at least 2 and has an average value of up to 60 or more.
• (3) optionally at least one copolymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomer selected from the group consisting of compounds of the formula:
• H.sub.2 C.dbd.CYZ
• wherein
• (a) Y is H and Z is COOR", C.sub.6 H.sub.4 R'", CN, Cl, CONH.sub.2, OC(O)R"" OR CH.dbd.CH.sub.2 ;
• (b) Y is C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl and Z is COOR", C.sub.6 H.sub.4 R'", CN, CONH.sub.2, or CH.dbd.CH.sub.2 ;
• or
• (c) Y and Z are Cl;
• and R" is C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl or C.sub.2 -C.sub.8 hydroxyalkyl or lower alkoxy(C.sub.2 -C.sub.8)alkyl;
• R'" is H, Cl, Br, or C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl;
• and R"" is C.sub.1 -C.sub.8 alkyl;
• and
• (4) zero to 1.0 weight percent of a polyethylenically unsaturated monomer;