Processes for preparing superbasic zinc soaps and methods of using said soaps

Metal soaps are normally produced by directly reacting metal oxides or metal hydroxides with the corresponding organic carboxylic acids or by double decomposition where metal soaps are precipitated from hot aqueous or aqueous/alcoholic soap solution by addition of salt solutions of the particular metals (see, for example, Ullmann's Encyklopädie der Technischen Chemie, 4th Edition, Vol. 21, page 224). Processes for preparing superbasic zinc soaps are disclosed. The processes described comprise: (a) providing a basic zinc carbonate; (b) providing at least one organic carboxylic acid; and (c) reacting the basic zinc carbonate and the at least one organic carboxylic acid at a temperature of from about 100° C. to about 200° C. The use of such soaps for stabilizing halogen-containing plastic compositions is also described.