QUICKLY SOLUBLE FUMARIC ACID COMPOSITION

PURPOSE:To provide the titled compsn. which can be quickly dissolved in cold water and hardly emits malodor when used as a mixture with perfume, by treating fumaric acid with a specified water-soluble high-molecular compd. and an alkaline material. CONSTITUTION:A water-soluble, high-molecular compd. having an average MW of 300-50,000 selected from homopolymers and copolymers of monomers of formulas I and/or II [wherein R1, R2 are each H, COOX2 (one of them is always a group other than COOX2); R3, A are each H, methyl; X1, X2 are each an alkali metal; A2 is an ester group of formula -COOY; Y is a 1-8C alkyl, a 2-5C monohydroxyalkyl] and an alkaline material such as sodium tripolyphosphate are dissolved in water. Fumaric acid is added to the resulting aq. soln. and, dissolved therein by heating. The soln. is cooled to crystallize out fumaric acid, which is then recovered by filtration and dried, thus obtaining fumaric acid carrying 0.01-50wt% water-soluble high-molecular compd. and not more than 2wt% alkaline material.