Rhodia Consumer Specialties Limited

Graham Philip Otter

Gary Woodward

Keith Philip Davis

Robert Eric Talbot

Kim Carmichael

A phosphorus-containing polymer is provided comprising the reaction product of a chain-transfer agent having at least one pH bond with an unsaturated carboxylic, phosphonic or sulphonic acid. The invention also provides the aforementioned phosphorus-containing polymer further comprising phosphorus-containing end-caps. The polymers have a biodegradability of at least 20% per 28 days (as determined by OECD 306).

Biodegradable polymers

A scale and corrosion inhibitor for use in the treatment of water comprises at least one oxyalkylene unit and at least one phosphonate unit (e.g. a unit derived prom a mono- or di-phosphonic acid such as VPA or VDPA). Inhibitors according to the present invention have been found to exhibit both scale-inhibiting and corrosion-inhibiting properties, especially in the treatment of cooling water and water used in oilfield applications.

Scale and corrosion inhibitors

Compounds of formula (I), wherein each of R and R&prime; are independently selected from hydrogen, a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, an alkyl, aryl or alkaryl group or a hydroxy or carboxy substituted alkyl, aryl or alkaryl group, provided that R and R&prime;, together have a total of less than 23 carbon atoms, R&Prime; may either be hydrogen or a CHR&boxH;CR group or be selected from the same categories as R&prime;&Prime;; R&prime;&Prime; is a group, or polymeric chain comprising from 1 to 100,000 groups, said group or groups being derived form at least one ethylenically unsaturated compound wherein the double bond is activated by an adjacent electron withdrawing group, and n is greater than 1 are novel, are useful corrosion inhibitors and are valuable intermediates in preparing telomers for use in water treatment.

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Birmingham, United Kingdom

Graham Philip Otter