Crosslinked gelling agents employed during subterranean operations use electronically-modified boronic acids to enable higher operating temperatures while allowing reduced gelling agent loadings; the boronic acids having Formula I: wherein X1 and X2 are independently selected from the group consisting of O, CH2, CH2O, OCH2, bond, and null and wherein either X1 or X2 is null, Y1 and Y2 are independently N or C, Ar is phenyl; m is 1 or 2, n is 0, 1, 2, or 3, and each Z is independently an electron withdrawing group selected from nitro, ester, carboxylic acids, carboxylates, halogen, cyano, amide, acyl, alkylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, heteroarylsulfonyl, CF3, a quaternary ammonium salt, polyhaloalkyl, and carbamate, with the proviso that when n is 0, the link L between M1 and Ar includes an electron withdrawing group attached to Ar, and introducing the treatment fluids into subterranean formations.