Salts of monocarboxylic acid copolymers as thickeners for non-polar solvents

Claim 1

A COMPOSITION OF MATTER COMPRISING A NON-POLAR ORGANIC SOLVENT HAVING A SOLUBILITY PARAMETER FROM ABOUT 8.2 UP TO ABOUT 10.5 AT 25*C. SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS, MONONITRO-SUBSTITUTED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, ALKYL AND ARYL THIOETHERS, CARBON DISULFIDE AND TRIALKYL AND TRIARYL ESTERS OF PHOSPHORIC ACID AND DISSOLVED THEREIN A THICKENING QUANTITY OF A METAL SALT OF A LIPOPHILIC MONOCARBOXYLIC ACID COPOLYMER CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING AN AVERAGE FROM ABOUT 0.05 TO ABOUT 3 METAL CARBOXYLATE GROUPS PER 100 COMBINED MONOMER UNITS AND A DEGREE OF POLYMERIZATION SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE AN AVERAGE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 2 CARBOXYLATE GROUPS PER POLYMER MOLECULE, WHEREIN THE METAL CATION IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MONO-, DI- AND TRIVALENT IONS OF METALS THAT FORM SALTS WITH AT LEAST ONE OF THE MINERAL ACIDS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROCHLORIC, SULFURIC, NITRIC AND CHLORIC ACIDS, WHICH SALTS IONIZE TO PROVIDE METAL IONS THAT ARE NOT SUBJECT TO SPONTANEOUS OXIDATION OR REDUCTION IN AQUEOUS MEDIA.