Acidic surfactant solvent composition

Claim 1

An improved acidic surfactant composition comprising: (a) An aqueous acid solution; (b) a surfactant characterized by the chemical formula: ##STR2## where R is an alkyl or alkyl-aryl radical of about C 6 to C 20 carbon atoms, A is a radical selected from the group consisting of: --PO(OH).sub.2, and --PO(OH)--OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.y (OCH.sub.2 CH(CH.sub.3).sub.x OR x is a number corresponding to the degree of propoxylation, and y is a number corresponding to the degree of ethoxylation wherein said aqueous solution is substantially acidified by an acid other than said surfactant; and (c) an oil soluble, substantially water insoluble alcohol selected from the group consisting of a C 4 to C 11 aliphatic alcohol and an alcohol of the formula: R--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 O).sub.z H Where R is an alkyl substituted phenyl group, an aliphatic alcohol residue of up to 20 carbons or a fatty acid residue of 10 to 20 carbons, a polypropylene oxide chain or polybutylene oxide chain and z is an integer from about 2 to 8, wherein the relative quantity of said alcohol present is selected such that the molar ratio of said alcohol to said surfactant is essentially a linear function of the acidity starting at a molar ratio substantially equal to the average number of ether oxygens bonded to the propylene oxide units of said surfactant at low acidity of substantially zero weight percent acid and increasing essentially linearly in value with increasing acidity to a molar ratio approaching a numerical value essentially equal to the total number of ether oxygens bonded to the sum of the propylene oxide units and ethylene oxide units of the surfactant molecule at high acidity; and (d) an oil solvent selected from the group consisting of aromatic hydrocarbons, alkyl substituted aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic acid esters, alkyl substituted aromatic acid esters, ketones, terpenes, C 3 to C 20 aliphatic hydrocarbons, polypropylene glycol, sulfolane, carbon disulfide, and mixtures thereof.