Abstract: A method of dispersing an insoluble material in an aqueous solution comprising the following steps: (i) providing a formulation comprising at least one insoluble material and at least one dispersant comprising a water soluble agriculturally acceptable derivative of an alternating copolymer or an agriculturally acceptable salt thereof wherein said alternating copolymer comprises at least one residue of a first comonomer and at least one residue of a second comonomer, wherein said first comonomer comprises ?,?-unsaturated oxyacids or anhydrides and said second comonomer comprises olefinic compounds containing one or more polymerizable double bonds; and (ii) dispersing said formulation in an aqueous medium.

Abstract: A novel agricultural formulation includes at least one finely divided solid water-insoluble material and at least one novel dispersant containing a polymer synthesized from first and second comonomers. The first comonomer is an ?,?-unsaturated oxyacid or anhydride, and the second comonomer is an olefin having at least one polymerizable double bond. Also disclosed is a method for dispersing a finely divided solid insoluble material, in particular, an active water-insoluble agrochemical principal, in an aqueous solution; a method for treating a substrate with such a material or principal; and a method of making an agrochemical formulation, where the methods are based on application of the novel dispersant to the preparation of aqueous dispersions of the solid material and agrochemical principal.