Carboxylic polymers

An interpolymer is prepared from a polymerizable olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acid containing at least one activated carbon-to-carbon double bond and at least one carboxyl group, and a polyalkenyl polyether of a polyhydric alcohol, the polyether containing more than one alkenyl ether grouping per molecule, and the parent polyhydric alcohol containing at least four carbon atoms to which are attached at least three hydroxyl groups. The acid may be acrylic, methacrylic, ethacrylic, a -chloro-, a -cyano, a -bromo, a -phenyl-, a -benzyl- or a -cyclohexyl-acrylic, crotonic, b -acryloxy-propionic, hydrosorbic, sorbic, a -chloro sorbic, a -butyl crotonic, angelic, cinnamic, m-chloro cinnamic, p-chloro cinnamic, umbellic, b -styryl acrylic, maleic, fumaric, hydromuconic, glutaconic, itaconic, citraconic, mesaconic, muconic, aconitic, tri- and tetra-carboxy ethylene, b -acryloxy acrylic, 3-carboxy-pentadiene-(2,4)-oic-1 or there may be used maleic anhydride or an anhydride substitution product thereof. The polyhydric alcohol from which the polyalkenyl polyether is prepared may be 1,2,3-butane triol, 2,3,4-trihydroxy butyric acid, erythrose, threose, erythrulose, arabinose, xylose, lyxose, ribose, araboketose, xyloketose, glucose, galactose, mannose, gulose, idose, talose, allose, fructose, sorbose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, raffinose, a hexosan, pentosan or hexosan-pentosan, a galactomannan or glucomannan gum, starch, erythritol, xylitol, mono-, di-, or tri-pentaerythritol, arabitol, mannitol, iditol, tolitol, sorbitol, inositol, dulcitol, gluconic, glucuronic, galactonic, galacturonic, saccharic, mucic or pectic acid. The alkenyl group of the polyalkenyl polyether may be vinyl, allyl or crotyl. Additional monomers which may be incorporated in the monomer mixture are styrene, the chloro- and ethoxy-styrenes, acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-methyl acrylamide, N,N-dimethyl acrylamide, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, methyl and ethyl acrylate, 2-ethyl-hexyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, vinyl benzoate, vinyl pyridine, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, vinylidene chlorobromide, vinyl carbazole, vinyl pyrrolidone, methyl, ethyl and n-butyl vinyl ether, methyl vinyl ketone, ethylene, isobutylene, dimethyl and diethyl maleate, divinyl ether, diallyl maleate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, acrylic anhydride and b -allyloxy-acrylate. Preferred interpolymers are those prepared from monomer mixtures containing acrylic acid or maleic anhydride and al