Patent ID: 7109257

Claim:
A process for preparing a modified clay, comprising: providing a clay dispersion comprising at least one clay wherein said clay has a first exchangeable cation consisting of at least one naturally occurring cation; adding a second multivalent inorganic cation to said clay dispersion, wherein at least a portion of the second cation exchanges with at least a portion of the first cation to form a modified clay dispersion; and combining at least one neutralizing agent with said modified clay dispersion to provide a modified clay, wherein the said neutralizing agent is chosen from oleic acid, palmitic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, fatty acids, amino acids, sulfonic acids, alkyl sulfates, mixtures of the said acids, chloride, bromide, iodide, nitrite, acetate, a polymerizable surfactant having a partially negative charge, and a polymerizable surfactant having a completely negative charge.