Fuel oil compositions containing formaldimine salts

Claim 1

A DISTILLATE FUEL OIL CONTAINING A SMALL AMOUNT, SUFFICIENT TO INHIBIT THE COLOR FORMATION AND SEDIMENTATION IN SAID OIL, OF A FORMALDIMINE SALT FORMED BY REACTING (A) A FORMALDIMINE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (1) A FORMALDIMINE OF THE GENERAL FORMULA (RN=CH2)3, WHERE R IS A NORMAL PRIMARY ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON RADICAL CONTAINING FROM ABOUT 8 TO ABOUT 18 CARBON ATOMS AND (2) A FORMALDIMINE OF THE GENERAL FORMULA FORMULA RN=CH2, WHERE R IS A TERTIARY ALKYL RADICAL CONTAINING FROM ABOUT 4 TO ABOUT 24 CARBON ATOMS AND WHICH IS LINKED TO THE NITROGEN ATOM THROUGH A TERTIARY CARBON ATOM THEREOF, WITH (B) AN ACIDIC ORGANIC COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBOXYLIC ACIDS, PHENOLS, THIOPHENOLS AND THIOLS, THE CARBOXYL, HYDROXYL AND THIOL RADICALS IN SAID COMPOUND BEING IN ALL INSTANCES ATTACHED TO AN OTHERWISE UNSUBSTITUTED HYDROCARBON RADICAL, AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 50*C. TO ABOUT 175*C., THE PROPORTIONS OF FORMALDIMINE USED IN THE REACTION BEING ABOUT 1/3 MOLE PER EQUIVALENT WEIGHT OF THE ACIDIC ORGANIC COMPOUND WHEN THE FORMALDIMINE CORRESPONDS TO THE FORMULA (RN=CH3)3 AND ABOUT 1 MOLE PER EQUIVALENT WEIGHT OF THE ACIDIC ORGANIC COMPOUND WHERE THE FORMALDIMINE CORRESPONDS TO THE FORMULA RN=CH2.