Bentonite complexes and greases derived therefrom

Claim 1

A BENTONITE COMPLEX CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF THE REACTION PRODUCT BENTONITE AND (A) AN AMINO QUARTERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUND HAVING THE FORMULA ARQ IN WHICH A IS AN AMINO GROUP SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND TERTIARY AMINO GROUPS IN WHICH ANY SUBSTITUENTS ARE ALKYL GROUPS OF FROM 1-18 CARBON ATOMS, AND AMINO GROUPS WHICH ARE A PART OF A HETEROCYCLIC RING, R IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKYLENE AND POLYOXYALKYLENE, AND Q IS A QUATERNARY AMMONIUM GROUP SELECTED FROM IT CONSISTING OF QUATERNARY AMMONIUM GROUPS IN WHICH THE NITROGEN ATOM IS SUBSTITUTED BY ALKYL GROUPS OF FROM 1-18 CARBON ATOMS AND THOSE IN WHICH THE NITROGEN ATOM IS A PART OF A HETEROCYCLIC RING AND (B) A MONOQUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUND HAVING TWO LONG CHAIN ALKYL GROUPS ATTACHED TO THE NITROGEN ATOM, EACH OF SAID LONG CHAIN ALKYL GROUPS CONTAINING FROM 7 TO 2.2 CARBON ATOMS, SAID NITROGEN ATOM BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NITROGEN ATOMS SUBSTITUTED WITH TWO SHORT CHAIN ALKYL GROUPS CONTAINING FROM 1 TO 4 CARBON ATOMS AND NITROGEN ATOMS FROMING PART OF A HETEROCYCLIC RING, THE QUANTITY OF (A) BEING LESS THAN ONE EQUIVALENT FOR 10 EQUIVALENTS OF (B) BUT SUFFICIENT TO MATERIALLY STIFFEN A GREASE MADE FROM SAID COMPLEX, THE TOTAL OF (A) AND (B) BEING SUCH THAT ESSENTIALLY ALL OF THE EXCHANGEABLE METAL CATION IN THE BENTONITE IS REPLACED BY THE CATIONS OF (A) AND (B).