VERFAHREN ZUR UEBERFUEHRUNG VON POLYGALACTOMANNANEN IN EINEN DISPERGIERBAREN ZUSTAND

1422598 Water dispersible polygalactomannans GENERAL MILLS CHEMICALS Inc 16 April 1973 [14 April 1972] 18293/73 Heading C3U Polygalactomannans and their water-soluble derivatives are rendered dispersible in aqueous media in a process which comprises soaking a polygalactomannan or water-soluble derivative thereof in an alkaline water solution of a material containing borate ion, allowing the polygalactomannan to absorb the solution, and milling and drying the resulting mixture, wherein the alkaline water solution of a material containing borate ion is an aqueous alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hydroxide and the material containing borate ion, expressed as borax (Na 2 B 4 O 7 .10H 2 O) is present in concentrations of from 0À1% to 0À5% by weight of the polygalactomannan or derivative thereof. Preferably the material containing borate ion is an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or ammonium salt of tetraborate, metaborate or perborate. Dispersible derivatives of polygalactomannans may also be obtained by treating the polysaccharide during the borating process, with the appropriate reagent, e.g. a haloacetic acid to produce a carboxymethyl ether, acrylonitrile (carboxyethyl ether), alkylene oxide (hydroxyalkyl ether), acrylamide (carbamyl) and quaternary ammonium compounds of the formula wherein R1, R2, R3 are the same or different and are alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or aralkyl groups, R4 is an epoxy alkyl or halohydrin group and Z is C1-, Br-, I- or HSO 4 -.