Patent ID: 7060661

Claim:
An aqueous, thickened acid composition which comprises at least one acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, acetic, formic, sulfamic, chloroacetic, and mixtures thereof and a gelling agent for said acid, wherein said gelling agent comprises at least one glycol as a solvent, and at least one amidoamine oxide of general formula (I) wherein R 1 is a saturated or unsaturated, straight or branched chain aliphatic group of from about 7 to about 30 carbon atoms, R 2 is a straight or branched chain, saturated or unsaturated divalent alkylene group of from 2 to about 6 carbon atoms, R 3 and R 4 are the same or different and are alkyl or hydroxyalkyl of from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, or R 3 and R 4 together with the nitrogen atom to which they are bonded form a heterocyclic ring of up to 6 members, and R 5 is hydrogen or a alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group of from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, wherein said gelling agent composition contains less than about 10% free fatty acid and from about 2–10% free amine.