Structure of Ultrabasic Sulfonate Greases

The effect of different components on the structure of ultrabasic calcium sulfonate during formation of a complex system was investigated by potentiometric titration and IR spectroscopy. Colloidal calcium carbonate has a calcite structure in the initial simple ultrabasic calcium sulfonate, in the intermediate model systems containing calcium tetraborate or 12–hydroxystearate, and in the final ultrabasic calcium sulfonate, and this structure does not change on conversion of the simple sulfonate grease into a complex grease. Micelles of the complex ultrabasic sulfonate grease consist of nuclei containing colloidal calcium carbonate and tetraborate coated with a calcium sulfonate and 12–hydroxystearate adsorption shell.