Esters of maleic anhydride interpolymers

Abstract

Water-insoluble alkyl half ester interpolymers and water-insoluble ammonium and amine salts thereof, and hair spray compositions made therefrom; said interpolymers consisting essentially of the structural units: ##EQU1## obtained by interpolymerizing maleic anhydride with two different alkyl vinyl ethers, R.sub.1 --O--CO=CH.sub.2 and R.sub.2 --O--CH=CH.sub.2, followed by partial esterification with an alkanol having 1 to 8 carbon atoms. The esterification can be followed by neutralization of free carboxyl groups with ammonia, a primary, secondary, or tertiary alkylamine, alkanolamine, or alkylalkanolamine of the formula ##EQU2## where Z.sub.1, Z.sub.2, and Z.sub.3 are all hydrogen to make up ammonia, where Z.sub.1, Z.sub.2, and Z.sub.3 are individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and of alkyl radicals, having 1 to 18 carbon atoms to make up the alkylamine, where Z.sub.1, Z.sub.2, and Z.sub.3 are individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and of hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl radicals to make up the alkanolamine, or where Z.sub.1, Z.sub.2, and Z.sub.3 are mixtures of alkyl and hydroxyalkyl groups as described to make up the alkylalkanolamine, to give the ammonium or amine salts of the interpolymers. R.sub.1 =alkyl radical, 8 to 18 carbon atoms, R.sub.2 =Alkyl radical, 1 to 3 carbon atoms; X and Y are individually selected from the group consisting of (1) alkoxy, 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and (2) hydroxy. The ammonium or amine salts of the foregoing compounds (when X or Y represents a hydroxy radical) are salts of ammonia or of those amines described above.