Mixed metal hydroxides for thickening water or hydrophylic fluids.

NOVEL MONODISPERSED CRYSTALLINE MIXED METAL LAYERED HYDROXIDE COMPOUNDS OF THE GENERAL FORMULA(FORMULA 1)WHERE M IS FROM ZERO TO ABOUT 1;D IS A DIVALENT METAL; D IS FROM ZERO TO ABOUT 4; T IS A TRIVALENT METAL; A REPRESENTS ANIONS OR NEGATIVES-VALENCE RADICALS OF VALENCE N; NA IS FROM ZERO TO ABOUT -3; (M+D) IS GREATER THAN ZERO; A IS THE NUMBER OF A IONS; Q IS FROM ZERO TO ABOUT 6; AND (M + 2D + 3 + NA) IS EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN 3. THE D METAL IS PREFERABLY MG AND THE T METAL IS PREFERABLY A1. THESE COMPOUNDS ARE USEFUL AS GELLING AGENTS WHICH IMPART BENEFICIAL THIXOTROPIC PROPERTIES TO VARIOUS FLUIDS, SUCH AS DRILLING FLUIDS, ESPECIALLY WHEN EMPLOYED ALONG WITH FLUID LOSS AGENTS.