Patent ID: 7517534

Claim:
A process for the preparation of an o/w emulsion, which comprises: mixing together a high molecular weight compound, an aqueous solution of a water-soluble polyol, and a hydrophobic compound, and diluting the resulting mixture with water; wherein said high molecular weight compound carrying at least on side chains thereof is a group represented by the following formula (1): —(OX) n -E 2 -R (1) wherein said high molecular weight compound is a synthetic, water-soluble, compound having a molecular weight of from 10,000 to 2,000,000, wherein OX of formula (1) is an ethylene oxide (EO) group, E 2 represents an ether bond or an oxycarbonyl group (—OCO— or —COO—), n is a number of 5 to 200, and R is a linear or branched C 4-30 hydrophobic group having 5 to 200 EO linkages added at a rate of from 0.0001 to 0.1 group per backbone monomer, wherein said high molecular weight compound being obtained by: (i) copolymerizing a water-soluble monomer of the following formula (5) or formula (6) with a water-soluble monomer having a C 4-30 hydrophobic group bonded via 5 to 200 EO linkages as defined by the following formula (7): wherein R 5 , R 6 and R 7 are the same or different and each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, and X stands for a number of from 2 to 100, wherein R 8 and R 9 are the same or different and each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, R 10 and R 11 each independently represents a methyl group or an ethyl group, n stands for an integer of 0 or 2 to 5, and Z represents an NH group, an oxygen atom, or connecting bond, and wherein R 12 and R 13 are the same or different and each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, y stands for a number of 5 to 200, and R 14 represents a linear or branched C 8-30 alkyl group optionally substituted by hydroxyl group(s).