Polyamino acid dispersants

A stabilized aqueous mineral suspension, comprising at least one compound having formula (I) or (II):

• poly (X).sub.n poly (Y).sub.m (I)
• where
• each X independently is aspartic acid, glutamic acid, phosphoserine, phosphohomoserine, phosphotyrosine, or phosphothreonine,
• each Y independently is alanine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, glycine or other nonpolar, amino acid residues,
• n is 2 to 60,
• m is 2 to 60, and
• n+m is .gtoreq.5,
• and wherein poly (X).sub.n may contain up to 10% of the Y residues and poly (Y).sub.m may contain up to 10% of the X residues, and salts thereof;
• and
• poly (X').sub.a poly (Y').sub.b (II)
• where
• each X' independently is aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, asparagine, or anionic derivatives of these amino acids, or phosphoserine,
• each Y' independently is a phosphorylated amino acid such as phosphoserine, phosphohomoserine, phosphotyrosine, phosphothreonine, phosphoglutamine, phosphoasparagine or mixtures of these residues,
• a is 2 to 150,
• b is 1 to 3, and
• a+b is .gtoreq.5, and
• salts of these peptides;
• wherein said salts of said compounds of formula (I) and (II) contain, as counterions, ions selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, aluminum, nickel, copper, p-toluenesulfonate, acetate, and mixtures thereof;
• wherein said suspension contains at least one mineral selected from the group consisting of iron oxides, kaolin, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, alumina hydrate, aluminum flake, antimony oxide, asbestos, barium metaborate, barytes, bismuth oxychloride, blanc fixe, bone black, bronze powders, cadmium sulfides, cadmium oranges, cadmium reds, calcium carbonates, calcium molybdate, calcium plumbate, calcium silicate, carbon black, chrome green, chrome orange, chrome yellows, chromium oxide greens, cobalt blue, copper chromite black, cuprous oxide, gloss white, graphite, iron blue, lamp black, basic lead carbonate, dibasic lead phosphite, basic lead silicate, basic lead sulfate, lithipone, manganese violet, Mercadium orange, Mercadium red, mercuric oxides, mica, molybdate orange, nepheline syenite, nickel titanate, novaculite, pumice, red lead, satin white, siennas, silicas, sodium alumino silicate, strontium chromate, strontium molybdate, talc, titanium dioxide, ultramarine blue, ultramarine violet, umbers, vermilion, wollastonite, zinc chromates, zinc dust, zinc ferrite, zinc molybdate, basic zinc molybdate, zinc oxide, zinc phosphate, zinc sulfide, zinc yellow, zircon, and zirconium oxide;
• and the concentration of said at least one compound is 0.01 to 800 .mu.g/ml.

A detersive system, comprising (a) 0.1 to 50 wt. %, based on the weight of said detersive system, of at least one compound having formula (I) or (II):

• poly (X).sub.n poly (Y).sub.m (I)
• where
• each X independently is aspartic acid, glutamic acid, phosphoserine, phosphohomoserine, phosphotyrosine, or phosphothreonine,
• each Y independently is alanine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, glycine or other nonpolar, amino acid residues,
• n is 2 to 60,
• m is 2 to 60, and
• n+m is .gtoreq.5,
• and wherein poly (X).sub.n may contain up to 10% of the Y residues and poly (Y).sub.m may contain up to 10% of the X residues, and salts thereof;
• and
• poly (X').sub.a poly (Y')b (II)
• where
• each X' independently is aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, asparagine, or anionic derivatives of these amino acids, or phosphoserine,
• each Y' independently is a phosphorylated amino acid such as phosphoserine, phosphohomoserine, phosphotyrosine, phosphothreonine, phosphoglutamine, phosphoasparagine or mixtures of these residues,
• a is 2 to 150,
• b is 1 to 3, and
• a+b is .gtoreq.5, and
• salts of these peptides, wherein said salts of said compounds of formula (I) and (II) contain, as counterions, ions selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, aluminum, nickel, copper, p-toluenesulfonate, acetate, and mixtures thereof;
• and (b) one member selected from the group consisting of surfactants, builders, and water.

A cosmetic composition suitable for application to human hair and aqueous rinsing therefrom, comprising a compound which is effective for the cleansing of hair and 0.1 to 50 wt. %, based on the weight of said composition, of at least one compound having formula (I) or (II):

• poly (X).sub.n poly (Y).sub.m (I)
• where
• each X independently is aspartic acid, glutamic acid, phosphoserine, phosphohomoserine, phosphotyrosine, or phosphothreonine,
• each Y independently is alanine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, glycine or other nonpolar, amino acid residues.
• n is 2 to 60,
• m is 2 to 60, and
• n+m is .gtoreq.5,
• and wherein poly (X).sub.n may contain up to 10% of the Y residues and poly (Y).sub.m may contain up to 10% of the X residues, and salts thereof;
• and
• poly (X').sub.a poly (Y').sub.b (II)
• where
• each X' independently is aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, asparagine, or anionic derivatives of these amino acids, or phosphoserine,
• each Y' independently is a phosphorylated amino acid such as phosphoserine, phosphohomoserine, phosphotyrosine, phosphothreonine, phosphoglutamine, phosphoasparagine or mixtures of these residues,
• a is 2 to 150,
• b is 1 to 3, and
• a+b is .gtoreq.5, and
• salts of these peptides, wherein said salts of said compounds of formula (I) and (II) contain, as counterions, ions selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, aluminum, nickel, copper, p-toluenesulfonate, acetate, and mixtures thereof.

A cosmetic composition suitable for application to human skin, comprising a compound effective for cleansing human skin and 0.1 to 50 wt. %, based on the weight of said composition, of at least one compound having formula (I) or (II):

• poly (X).sub.n poly (Y).sub.m (I)
• where
• each X independently is aspartic acid, glutamic acid, phosphoserine, phosphohomoserine, phosphotyrosine, or phosphothreonine,
• each Y independently is alanine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, glycine or other nonpolar, amino acid residues,
• n is 2 to 60,
• m is 2 to 60, and
• n+m is .gtoreq.5,
• and wherein poly (X).sub.n may contain up to 10% of the Y residues and poly (Y).sub.m may contain up to 10% of the X residues, and salts thereof;
• and
• poly (X').sub.a poly (Y').sub.b (II)
• where
• each X' independently is aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, asparagine, or anionic derivatives of these amino acids, or phosphoserine,
• each Y' independently is a phosphorylated amino acid such as phosphoserine, phosphohomoserine, phosphotyrosine, phosphothreonine, phosphoglutamine, phosphoasparagine or mixtures of the residues,
• a is 2 to 150,
• b is 1 to 3, and
• a+b is .gtoreq.5, and
• salts of these peptides, wherein said salts of said compounds of formula (I) or (II) contain, as counterions, ions selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, aluminum, nickel, copper, p-toluenesulfonate, acetate, and mixtures thereof.