Albumen degradation products or synthetic polypeptides are condensed with chlorocarbonic esters of aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aliphatic-cycloaliphatic or aliphatic-aromatic mono- or poly-hydric alcohols containing at least five carbon atoms. The term "albumen degradation products" covers only the products obtainable by degrading albumens to the di-or tri-peptide stage, the treatment of simple aminoacids being excluded. Albuminous materials of which the degradation products may be used are gelatin, leather glue, hide glue, bone glue, horn waste, flesh waste, herring sperm, soya bean meal, wool, sericin, casein, or hydroxyethylation products of casein; the degradation may be effected with acid or alkaline solutions or with enzymes. Synthetic polypeptides which may replace the albumen degradation products are those obtainable by the condensation of glycine, alanine, sarcosine and other aminoacids. Suitable chlorocarbonic esters are those of hexyl, octyl, dodecyl, myristyl, cetyl, octodecyl and oleyl alcohols, octodecanediol, montanol, cyclohexanol, methylcyclohexanol, benzyl alcohol, cinnamic alcohol, and phenylcetyl alcohol, or of mixtures of alcohols such as are obtainable by hydrogenating oils, fats and waxes or by oxidizing paraffinic hydrocarbons; chlorocarbonic esters of substituted alcohols, e.g. alcohols containing halogen atoms or ester, ether or nitro groups, may also be used; the esters may be prepared by the action of phosgene on the alcohols. The reaction of the esters with the albumen degradation products or polypeptides may be effected at 20--80 DEG C. in an aqueous medium in the presence of alkaline reagents, e.g. caustic soda or potash, ammonia, soda or pyridine; when albumen degradation products prepared under mild conditions are used in the reaction, the reaction products may be treated with ethylene oxide, to increase their solubility. The products are useful as wetting, washing and emulsifying agents in the treatment of textiles, leather and paper and in the foodstuff and pharmaceutical industries; in particular, they may be used (a) as levelling agents in dyeing animal or vegetable fibres with vat dyes; (b) for preventing precipitation when soaps are used in hard water; (c) for preventing precipitation of azo dyes when producing those dyes on the fibre; and (d) for making emulsions for dressing or waterproofing fabrics. The products may be used in admixture with other substances, the following being specified: sulphite cellulose waste liquor; soaps; turkey red oil; alkylnaphthalenesulphonic acids; condensation products of higher carboxylic acids with amino- or oxy-alkylsulphonic acids; sulphuric esters of higher aliphatic alcohols; reaction products of ethylene oxide and organic hydroxy or amino compounds or carboxylic acids; glue; dextrin; starch; vegetable mucilages; organic solvents such as trichlorethylene, carbon tetrachloride, benzyl alcohol and cyclohexanol; oxidizing agents such as perborates or hydrogen peroxide; and salts such as common salt, phosphates, silicates and sodium sulphate. In the examples, (1) gelatin is heated with dilute caustic soda solution, and the filtered product is treated with cetyl chlorocarbonate in the presence of soda or caustic soda; the product may be added to a bath in which bleached mercerized cotton satin is dyed with Indanthrene brilliant green B double paste; (2) gelatin degraded as in example 1 is treated with the chlorocarbonic esters of a mixture of alcohols obtainable by reducing coco-nut oil.ALSO:Albumen degradation products or synthetic polypeptides are condensed with chlorocarbonic esters of aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aliphatic-cycloaliphatic or aliphatic-aromatic mono- or poly-hydric alcohols containing at least five carbon atoms. The term "albumen degradation products" covers only the products obtainable by degrading albumens to the di- or tri-peptide stage, the treatment of simple aminoacids being excluded. Albuminous materials of which the degradation products may be used are gelatin, leather glue, hide glue, bone glue, horn waste, flesh waste, herring sperm, soya bean meal, wool, sericin, casein, or hydroxyethylation products of casein; the degradation may be effected with acid or alkaline solutions or with enzymes. Synthetic polypeptides which may replace the albumen degradation products are those obtainable by the condensation of glycine, alanine, sarcosine and other amino-acids. Suitable chlorocarbonic esters are those of hexyl, octyl, dodecyl, myristyl, cetyl, octodecyl and oleyl alcohols, octodecanediol, montanol, cyclohexanol, methylcyclohexanol, benzyl alcohol, cinnamic alcohol, and phenylcetyl alcohol, or of mixtures of alcohols such as are obtainable by hydrogenating oils, fats and waxes or by oxidizing paraffinic hydrocarbons; chlorocarbonic esters of substituted alcohols, e.g. alcohols containing halogen atoms or ester, ether or nitro groups, may also be used. The reaction products may be treated with ethylene oxide, to increase their solubility. The products are useful as washing and emulsifying agents in the treatment of textiles, leather and paper and in the foodstuff and pharmaceutical industries; in particular, they may be used for preventing precipitation when soaps are used in hard water and for making emulsions for dressing or waterproofing fabrics. The products may be used in admixture with other substances, the following being specified:--sulphite cellulose waste liquor; soaps, turkey red oil; alkylnaphthalenesulphonic acids; condensation products of higher carboxylic acids with amino- or oxy-alkylsulphonic acids: sulphuric esters of higher aliphatic alcohols; reaction products of ethylene oxide and organic hydroxy or amino compounds or carboxylic acids; glue; dextrin; starch; vegetable mucilages; organic solvents such as trichlorethylene, carbon tetrachloride, benzyl alcohol and cyclohexanol; oxidizing agents such as perborates or hydrogen peroxide; and salts such as common salt, phosphates, silicates and sodium sulphate.ALSO:Albumen degradation products or synthetic polypeptides are condensed with chlorocarbonic esters of aliphatic, cyclo-aliphatic, aliphatic-cycloaliphatic or aliphatic - aromatic mono-or poly-hydric alcohols containing at least five carbon atoms. The term "albumen degradation products" covers only the products obtainable by degrading albumens to the di- or tri-peptide stage, the treatment of simple aminoacids being excluded. Albuminous materials of which the degradation products may be used are gelatin, leather glue, hide glue, bone glue, horn waste, flesh waste, herring sperm, soya bean meal, wool, sericin, casein, of hydroxyethylation products of casein; the degradation may be effected with acid or alkaline solutions or with enzymes. Synthetic polypeptides which may replace the albumen degradation products are those obtainable by the condensation of glycine, alanine, sarcosine and other aminoacids. Suitable chlorocarbonic esters are those of hexyl, octyl, dodecyl, myristyl, cetyl, octodecyl and oleyl alcohols, octodecanediol, montanol, cyclohexanol, methyl-cyclohexanol, benzyl alcohol, cinnamic alcohol, and phenylcetyl alcohol, or of mixtures of alcohols such as are obtainable by hydrogenating oils, fats and waxes or by oxidizing paraffinic hydrocarbons; chlorocarbonic esters of substituted alcohols, e.g. alcohols containing halogen atoms or ester, ether or nitro groups may also be used. The products may be treated with ethylene oxide, to increase their solubility. The products are useful in the pharmaceutical industry, as emulsifying agents in the preparation of emulsions and ointments, and may be used in admixture with other emulsifying agents.