Radii of gyration of sodium carboxymethylcellulose in aqueous and mixed solvent media from viscosity measurement

The viscosities of three sodium carboxymethylcellulose samples with molecular weights of 90,000 [degree of substitution (DS): 0.7], 250,000 (DS: 0.9), and 700,000 (DS: 0.9) have been reported in water and methanol-water mixtures in salt-free and salt-containing solutions at 35 degrees C. The results were analyzed in terms of a phenomenological approach for the viscosity of polymer solutions to determine the intrinsic viscosities [ii] of the polyelectrolyte samples. This contribution presents a new and convenient method for the determination of the root-mean-square radii of gyration of the polyion chains using the [ii] values obtained as a function of the added salt concentration. The polyion coils are found to expand at low ionic strength and these collapse drastically with increasing ionic strength. Addition of methanol to the medium in which these samples are dissolved causes a contraction of the polyion chains, although this influence is less pronounced than that of the added salt. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.