2 GUAR DERIVATIVES
Modified guar gum was developed in 1960s as
an alternative thickener to plain guar gum by
General Mills Inc by commercializing
hydroxypropyl guar for hydraulic fracturing.
Guar gum hydrates well in aqueous solutions,
but concerns about solution clarity, alcohol
solubility, uncontrolled rate of hydration,
decrease in viscosity on prolong stay, microbial
contamination susceptibility etc, derivatization
of guar gum leads to subtle changes in
properties, such as, decreased hydrogen
bonding, increased solubility in water-alcohol
mixture, improved electrolyte compatibility ,
increased solution clarity and stable viscosity.