Abstract: A water treating agent which comprises a specific polymer containing a structural unit that is derived from a monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated bond and has one or more carboxyl radicals, at least a part of said carboxyl radicals being modified, or another water treating agent which comprises, in addition to said specific polymer, one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of inorganic phosphates, phosphonic acids, organic phosphoric acid esters and polyvalent metal salts, is capable of preventing the formation of corrosion, scale and contamination on the surface of a metal that is in contact with water.

Abstract: An aqeuous lubricant comprising a salt of a sulfuric ester of a polyoxyalkylene compound suitable for use in metal working, drilling, bottling and the like operations. The lubricant is an anionic compound of the formula:[R.sub.1 (OA.sub.1).sub.p ].sub.m R.sub.2 [(A.sub.2 O).sub.q SO.sub.3 M].sub.nwherein R.sub.1 is H or an organic group having a hydrocarbon radical of 1 to 22 carbon atoms, at least one R.sub.1 being an organic group having a hydrocarbon radical of 11 to 22 carbon atoms, R.sub.2 is the residue of a compound having 3 to 8 active hydrogen atoms, such as a polyhydric alcohol or a polyamine, OA.sub.1 and A.sub.2 O are each oxyalkylene groups having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, M is a monovalent salt-forming group, p and q are each 0 to 40, the total number of OA.sub.1 and A.sub.2 O groups being 3 to 40, and m and n are integers of 1 or higher, m + n being 3 to 8.