IRON(III) CHELATING RESINS .4. CROSS-LINKED COPOLYMER BEADS OF 1-(BETA-ACRYLAMIDOETHYL)-3-HYDROXY-2-METHYL-4(1H)-PYRIDINONE (AHMP) WITH 2-HYDROXYETHYL METHACRYLATE (HEMA)

Iron(III) chelating beads have been synthesized by copolymerization of 1-(beta-acrylamidoethyl)-3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-(1H)-pyridinone (AHMP) with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the crosslinking agent. The synthesis of the AHMP-HEMA beads was performed by suspension polymerization of AHMP, HEMA and EGDMA in benzyl alchol-20% aqueous NaCl solution using 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator and polyvinylalcohol (40-88) as a suspending agent. The crosslinked copolymer beads were characterized by IR, and the AHMP content was determined by elemental analysis. The AHMP-HEMA beads were not too hydrophilic, and the copolymers absorbed at equilibrium only 40-50% water. It was found that the copolymer beads were very stable at 25-degrees, but some degradation was observed at 121-degrees. The AHMP-HEMA copolymers were able to chelate iron(III) and the chelation was dependent on the conditions such as pH and temperature. However, the capacities towards iron(III) chelation were always found to be much lower than the calculated values. The influence of the polymeric matrix on the iron(III) chelating ability was studied with iron(III) chelating resins containing various polymeric matrices. It was found that the iron(III) chelating efficiencies of the resins were strongly affected by their hydrophilicities. The low chelating efficiency of the AHMP-HEMA beads (0-40%) is probably due to their poor swelling in water.