WATER-SOLUBLE LUBRICANT COMPOSITION

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a water-soluble lubricant compsn. which exhibits good dispersion stability and gives a cutting oil or a pressure medium excellent in lubricity by using a salt of a reaction product of an unsat. hydrocarbon with a mercaptofatty acid. SOLUTION: An unsatd. hydrocarbon having a number average mol.wt. of 80-10,000 and at least one unsatd. bond can be used. Pref. mercaptofatty acids are thioglycol acid and 3-mercaptopropionic acid. The reaction product and a base may be added separately to water, or the salt may be formed before being added to water. The salt is dispersed in water by stirring under a normal or higher pressure and at normal temp. or under heating. The compsn. is adjusted so that it is a conc. salt soln. during storage or transport and that when it is used, it contains a carboxylic acid-contg. compd., i.e., the reaction product, in an amt. of 0.01-50 wt.%, water in an amt. of 10-99 wt.%, and the base in at least about the same amt. as the acid component.