NEW WATER-SOLUBLE POLYMERS AND COPOLYMERS BY INTERACTION OF POLYELECTROLYTES WITH FORMAMIDE

Viscometric measurements on aqueous solutions of the strongly acidic polyelectrolyte, poly(2-acrylamido, 2-methyl propane sulphonic acid) (PAS), have shown the necessity to include salt at a very high concentration in order to screen the charges. PAS was found to dissolve in formamide, but the properties of the isolated polymer demonstrated the occurrence of chemical changes during the dissolution process. Several procedures proved the conversion of sulphonic acid moieties to sulphonamide groups to an extent depending on the time and temperature of dissolution. At elevated temperature and extended times dissolution afforded complete conversion, i.e., a solution in formamide of a new neutral polymer, poly(2-acrylamido, 2-methyl propane sulphonamide) (PASAM), which does not require the inclusion of salts. By light scattering, the degree of polymerization of this PASAM was shown to be the same as that of the original PAS. The viscometric behavior of the PASAM in salt-free water was that of a neutral polymer. Similar tests on the dissolution of the weakly acidic polyelectrolyte, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) in formamide also showed the occurrence of amidation, but even after extended times PAA is not converted completely to polyacrylamide.