The disclosed invention relates to a composition comprising a partially dehydrated product made by:(I) reacting (A) a hydrocarbyl substituted
succinic acid or anhydride with (B) a
polyol, a
polyamine, a hydroxyamine, or a mixture of two or more thereof, to form a first
intermediate product comprising: an ester, partial ester or mixture thereof when (B) is a
polyol; an
amide,
imide, salt,
amide / salt, partial
amide or mixture of two or more thereof when (B) is a
polyamine; or an ester, partial ester, amide, partial amide, amide / salt,
imide, ester / salt, salt or a mixture of two or more thereof when (B) is a hydroxyamine, a mixture of a
polyol and a
polyamine, a mixture of a polyol and a hydroxyamine, a mixture of a polyamine and a hydroxyamine, or a mixture of a polyol, a polyamine and a hydroxyamine; the hydrocarbyl
substituent of said acid or anhydride having an average of about 8 to about 200 carbon atoms; and(II) heating said first
intermediate product at an
effective temperature to form a second
intermediate product with water of reaction being formed, and separating a portion of said water of reaction from said second intermediate product, when (A) is said
succinic anhydride the amount of water of reaction that is separated is from about 0.2 to about 0.9 equivalents of said water of reaction per equivalent of said
succinic anhydride, when (A) is said
succinic acid the amount of water of reaction that is separated is from about 1.2 to about 1.9 moles of said water of reaction per equivalent of said
succinic acid, said partially dehydrated product having a
total acid number in the range of about 20 to about 100 mg of KOH / g.A process for making the foregoing partially dehydrated product is also disclosed. Emulsions comprising an organic phase, an aqueous phase, and an emulsifying amount of the foregoing partially dehydrated product are disclosed.