| abstract |
Crosslinked gelling agents employed during subterranean operations use electronically-modified boronic acids to enable higher operating temperatures while allowing reduced gelling agent loadings; the boronic acids having Formula I: n nwherein X 1 and X 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of O, CH 2 , CH 2 O, OCH 2 , bond, and null and wherein either X 1 or X 2 is null, Y 1 and Y 2 are independently N or C, Ar is phenyl; m is 1 or 2, n is 0, 1, 2, or 3, and each Z is independently an electron withdrawing group selected from nitro, ester, carboxylic acids, carboxylates, halogen, cyano, amide, acyl, alkylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, heteroarylsulfonyl, CF 3 , a quaternary ammonium salt, polyhaloalkyl, and carbamate, with the proviso that when n is 0, the link L between M 1 and Ar includes an electron withdrawing group attached to Ar, and introducing the treatment fluids into subterranean formations. |