Charge imbalanced polyelectrolyte composition

Abstract

A charge imbalanced composition comprising: (a) about 10 to 90 mole % of an amphoteric copolymer having the formula ##STR1## where R=alkyl C.sub.1 -C.sub.4, N=1-6, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are independently alkyl C.sub.1 -C.sub.6, and R.sub.3 is H, (b) about 10 to 90 mole % of a polymeric diacid having the formula: ##STR2## where R is as defined above, and (c) less than about 8 mole % of by-product salts which are the dialkylaminoalkylamine salts of (a) and (b). The composition described above is made by: reacting 1 mole of an anhydride compound having the formula ##STR3## where R is as defined above, with less than 1 mole of a compound having the formula ##STR4## where n, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are as defined above, and R.sub.3 is H, isolating the product, and hydrolyzing any residual anhydride compound in water to the corresponding diacid compound.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.