Patent ID: 8828914

Claim:
A method of controlling the rate of depolymerization of a polymer in an aqueous polymer composition comprising: obtaining an aqueous mixture comprising a tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium salt (THP salt) in an amount of 250 ppm or more, adjusting the pH of the THP salt-water mixture to a pH range of from about 4 to about 8; and contacting the THP salt-water mixture with the polymer to form an aqueous polymer composition, wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of guar, carboxymethyl guar, hydroxyethyl guar, hydroxypropyl guar, carboxymethylhydroxypropyl guar, cationic guar, hydrophobically modified guar, hydrophobically modified carboxymethyl guar, hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl guar, hydrophobically modified hydroxypropyl guar, cationic hydrophobically modified hydroxypropyl guar, hydrophobically modified carboxymethylhydroxypropyl guar, and hydrophobically modified cationic guar.