TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The halocarboxylic acid is chloroacetic acid. Preferred Definitions:    Xn+ = ammonium ion of formula (N+(R)(R1)(R2)(R3)) (preferred) or (R1-NH3+), (1b) and (1c), phosphonium ion of formula (P+(R)(R1)(R2)(R3)) (Id), sulfonium ion of formula (S+(R)(R1)(R2)) (Ie), lithium ion, sodium ion or potassium ion;    R6 = methyl;    x = 3-5;    R7 = 1,2-ethylene (at least 50%);    R8 = methylene;    R4, R5 = H, optionally saturated acyclic or cyclic, aliphatic, aromatic or araliphatic 1-20C hydrocarbon residues, which is substituted by an hydroxyl group and optionally a carboxyl group, where the non-adjacent carbon atoms in the residues are substituted by O, N or H;    R = R4, preferably H;    R1 = R4, preferably 8-20C alkyl;    R2, R3 = R4, preferably H, methyl or ethyl; and    Y1- = (2-(2-(2-methoxy-ethoxy)-ethoxy)-ethoxy)-acetic acid anion.    SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS - The use of 6 compounds (I) is disclosed e.g. sodium-2,5,8,11-tetraoxatridecan-13-oate of formula (CH3-O-(CH2)2-O-(CH2)2-O-(CH2)2-O-CH2-C(=O)-O-Na+) (Ia), lithium-2,5,8,11-tetraoxatridecan-13-oate, potassium-2,5,8,11-tetraoxatridecan-13-oate, calcium-di(2,5,8,11)-tetraoxatridecan-13-oate and hexylammonium-2,5,8,11-tetraoxatridecan-13-oate.    EXAMPLE - Sodium (15.3 g) was dissolved in triethyleneglycolmonomethylether (260 ml) in an inert gas atmosphere under stirring and heated at approximately 120 degrees C and then cooled at 100 degrees C after completely dissolving the sodium. Chloroacetic acid (30.9 g) dissolved in triethyleneglycolmonomethylether (60 ml) was added to the dissolved solution and the excess triethyleneglycolmonomethylether was distilled in the vacuum. The cooled residue was reacted with water (approximately 150 ml) and 85% phosphoric acid (23 ml) to obtain a clear brown solution. The solution was extracted with dichloromethane (200 ml) and the organic phase was dried with magnesium sulfate. The solvent was filtered and removed to obtain a dark brown oily liquid. Raw 2,5,8,11-tetraoxatridecan-13-acid was purified by double distillation in the vacuum to obtain polyether carboxylic acid. The sodium salt of 2,5,8,11-tetraoxatridecan-13-acid was obtained by the reaction of the acid with equimolar quantity of an aqueous 0.1 M sodium hydroxide solution. The water was stirred after the neutralization to obtain the sodium-2,5,8,11-tetraoxatridecan-13-oate.