WATER-SOLUBLE, HYDROPHOBICALLY ASSOCIATING COPOLYMERS WITH HYDROPHOBIC-ASSOCIATED MONOMERS OF NEW TYPE

FIELD: chemistry.SUBSTANCE: present invention relates to water-soluble, hydrophobic-associating copolymers. Described water-soluble, hydrophobic-associating copolymer comprising (a) 0.1-20% by weight of at least one hydrophobic-associating monomer (a), and (b) 25 to 99.9% by weight of at least one hydrophilic monomer (b) other than the monomer (a), wherein when synthesized through water gel polymerization or solution polymerization at pH of 5.0 to 7.5, at least one additional but non-polymerizable surfactant component (c) is introduced prior to initiation of the polymerization reaction, moreover, the quantitative data in each case being recalculated for the total amount of all the monomers in the copolymer, and wherein at least one of the monomers (a) is a monomer of the general formula (I)where the units -(-CH-CH-O-), -(-CH-CH(R)-O-)and if necessary -(-CH-CH-O-)in the block structure are located in the sequence represented in formula (I), and the remainders and indices have the following values: k is a number from 15 to 35; l is a number from 5 to 25; m is a number from 0 to 15; Rmeans H; Rmeans a divalent linking group -O- (CH) -, where n' is 4, Rmeans a hydrocarbon residue with at least 2 carbon atoms provided that the sum of the carbon atoms of all hydrocarbon residues Ris in the range of 15 to 50; Rmeans H; and wherein hydrophobic-associating monomer (a) of general formula (I) is the resulting process comprising the following steps: a) reacting a monoethylenically unsaturated alcohol A1 of general formula (II)with ethylene oxide, where the residues Rand Rhave the above meanings, with the addition of an alkaline catalyst K1 containing KOMe and / or NaOMe, obtaining an alkoxylated alcohol A2; b) reacting an alkoxylated alcohol A2 with at least one alkylene oxide Z of formula (Z)where Rhas the above values; when adding an alkaline catalyst K2 selected from NaOH, NaOMe and NaOEt, where the concentration of potassium ions in the reaction in step b) is less than or equal to 0.9 mol%, based on the alcohol A2 used, the reaction in step b) being conducted at a temperature of less than or equal to 135°C, at that the alkoxylated alcohol A3 of formula (III)where R=H, where the residues R, Rand Rand the indices k and l have the above meanings; c) if necessary, reacting at least a portion of the alkoxylated alcohol A3 with ethylene oxide, and an alkoxylated alcohol A4 is obtained that corresponds to the monomer (a) of formula (I), where R=H and m is greater than 0,