Zirconium complexes with lactic acid in the solution and solid states

Lactic acid complexes of zirconium are used in a great number of industrial applications. Among these is their use as crosslinking agents for hydraulic fracturing fluids used in secondary oil recovery operations. Because of a poor understanding of zirconium lactate complex chemistry and crosslinking reactions, however, the design of superior fluid systems is often not guided by sound chemical principles and leads to empirical guesswork.; Zirconium lactate solutions were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, 1H, 13C, and 17O nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and potentiometry. The results indicate that lactic acid is coordinated bidentate to zirconium via the alcohol and carboxylate groups. The average number of lactate ligands per zirconium ion is approximately 2 and is demonstrated to be relatively constant from pH 4–9. The lability of the lactate complexes increases as the pH is decreased.; The NMR data reveal that there are both large and small complex molecules present in solution, with the size of the complex depending on the extent of zirconium hydrolysis. Large complexes consist of lactic acid coordinated to polynuclear zirconium hydroxy ions. The molecular size of these complexes is sufficient to hinder their tumbling in solution and cause broadening of the measured NMR signals. Small complexes involve lactic acid coordinated to hydroxylated species containing fewer zirconium ions, such that the rotational motion in solution is sufficiently rapid to result in narrow NMR signals.; Zirconium lactate complexes were precipitated from solution and analyzed in the solid state using FT-IR spectroscopy, 13C magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermal gravitational analysis, and x-ray diffraction. Two distinct types of crystalline compounds were synthesized with four lactate ligands per zirconium ion. The coordination of lactic acid to zirconium is different in the two compounds, with one showing evidence of at least two distinct lactate environments.; This investigation has shown that the method of preparing a zirconium lactate solution can significantly affect the nature of the aqueous complex. A new preparation technique that produces solutions with significantly different properties than those available commercially has been demonstrated.