Hydroxycarboxylic acids and salts

Abstract

Compositions which inhibit corrosion and alter the physical properties of concrete (admixtures) are prepared from salt mixtures of hydroxycarboxylic acids, carboxylic acids, and nitric acid. The salt mixtures are prepared by neutralizing acid product mixtures from the oxidation of polyols using nitric acid and oxygen as the oxidizing agents. Nitric acid is removed from the hydroxycarboxylic acids by evaporation and diffusion dialysis.

1 . A method for preparing an aqueous solution of at least one organic compound suitable for direct nitric acid oxidation comprising the steps of:
 adding at least one polysaccharide to aqueous nitric acid;   stirring the resulting mixture until the polysaccharide is hydrolyzed to lower molecular weight saccharides selected from the group consisting of: smaller than the at least one polysaccharide, oligosaccharides, tetrasaccharides, trisaccharides, disaccharides, and monosaccharides.