Synthesis and cyclopolymerization of novel allyl‐acrylate quaternary ammonium salts

Novel allyl‐acrylate quaternary ammonium salts were synthesized using two different methods. In the first (method 1), N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐2‐(ethoxycarbonyl)allyl allylammonium bromide and N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐2‐(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)allyl allylammonium bromide were formed by reacting tertiary amines with allyl bromide. The second (method 2) involved reacting N,N‐dialkyl‐N‐allylamine with either ethyl α‐chloromethyl acrylate (ECMA) or tert‐butyl α‐bromomethyl acrylate (TBBMA). The monomers obtained with the method 2 were N,N‐diethyl‐N‐2‐(ethoxycarbonyl)allyl allylammonium chloride, N,N‐diethyl‐N‐2‐(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)allyl allylammonium bromide, and N,N‐piperidyl‐N‐2‐(ethoxycarbonyl)allyl allylammonium chloride. Higher purity monomers were obtained with the method 2. Solution polymerizations with 2,2′‐azobis(2‐amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (V‐50) in water at 60–70°C gave soluble cyclopolymers which showed polyelectrolyte behavior in pure water. Intrinsic viscosities measured in 0.09M NaCl ranged from 0.45 to 2.45 dL/g. ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR spectra indicated high cyclization efficiencies. The ester groups of the tert‐butyl polymer were hydrolyzed completely in acid to give a polymer with zwitterionic character. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 901–907, 1999     

Copolymerization of acrylamide with allyl-acrylate quaternary ammonium monomers

A series of copolymers of N,N-morpholine-N-2-(ethoxycarbonyl)allyl allyl ammonium chloride, N,N-morpholine-N-2-(ethoxycarbonyl)allyl allyl ammonium bromide, N,N-piperidyl-N-2-(ethoxycarbonyl)allyl allyl ammonium chloride, N,N-morpholine-N-2-(t-butoxycarbonyl)allyl allyl ammonium bromide and diallyldimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC) with acrylamide (AAm) were prepared in water at 50-56°C using 2,2'-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride (V-50). The ethyl ester monomers showed high cyclization efficiencies during copolymerizations. The tert-butyl ester derivatives showed high cross-linking tendencies. The molar fractions of allyl-acrylate monomers in the AAm: allyl-acrylate copolymers were higher than the one of DADMAC in the AAm:DADMAC copolymers. The intrinsic viscosities of the copolymers measured in 0.09 M NaCl ranged from 2.5 to 7.5 dL/g.     

Influence of Structure on Polymerization Rates and Ca‐Binding of Phosphorus‐Containing 1,6‐Dienes

Photo‐ and thermal‐polymerizations of 4‐diethoxyphosphoryl‐2,4,6‐tris(ethoxycarbonyl)‐1,6‐heptadiene, 4,4‐bis(diethoxyphosphoryl)‐2,6‐bis(t‐butoxycarbonyl)‐1,6‐heptadiene and 4‐diethoxyphosphoryl‐4‐ethoxycarbonyl‐2,6‐bis(t‐butoxycarbonyl)‐1,6‐heptadiene monomers and their phosphonic and carboxylic acid derivatives were investigated to understand the effect of the cyclic monomer structure on their polymerization reactivity. A strong effect of the substituents at positions 2, 4 and 6 of the monomers on polymerization rate was observed. The polymerizability of the monomers was successfully correlated with the ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of the vinyl carbons. Conversion values were consistent with the T_g being a measure of the flexibility of a monomer. The monomers containing phosphonic acid groups were soluble in water and ethanol. The acidic nature of the aqueous solutions of these monomers is expected to give them etching properties, important for dental applications. The interaction of the acid monomers with hydroxyapatite was investigated using ¹³C NMR technique.

     

End‐functionalized polystyrene by ATRP: A facile approach to primary amino and carboxylic acid terminal groups

Monoamino‐terminated and monocarboxylic acid‐terminated polystyrenes containing active halogenated end groups were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using the so‐called initiator method and protective group chemistry. α‐Chloropropionates were synthesized and utilized as initiators containing the tert‐butoxycarbonyl (t‐BOC)‐protected amino and the tert‐butyl (t‐Bu)‐protected carboxylic acid function, respectively. Optimum polymerization conditions were attained using CuCl/N,N,N′,N′′,N′′‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine (PMDETA) as catalyst and 10 vol % n‐butanol as homogenizing agent at 110 °C. However, targeting larger quantities an alternative route was established employing 50 vol % N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF). Subsequent hydrolysis of the ω‐tert‐butoxycarbonyl polystyrenes afforded well‐defined polymers with quantitative deprotection of the functional groups. Comparatively, thermolytic cleavage of the protective sites was studied. ¹H NMR verified the quantitative removal of the t‐BOC‐protecting groups. Furthermore, the resulting α‐amino‐ω‐chloro polystyrenes were reacted with Sanger reagent to confirm the existence of the thereby converted primary amino groups. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3845–3859, 2009     

Aluminum/Nitrogen Cycles and an Open Cage with Al–H and N–H Functions

The cyclic tert‐butyl‐amino alane dimer [tBu–N(H)AlH₂]₂ ( 1 ) was obtained from reaction between alane with tert‐butylamine and its boranate derivative [tBu–N(H)–Al(BH₄)₂)]₂ ( 2 ) subsequently from 1 by hydride/chloride exchange using PbCl₂ followed by reaction with LiBH₄. Both compounds form four‐membered Al₂N₂ cycles with typical Al–N bond lengths of 1.940(5) Å ( 1 ) and 1.945(5) Å ( 2 ) as found from X‐ray diffraction analysis. The tert‐butyl substituents at the nitrogen atoms may be situated at the same side of the ring (cis) or at opposite sides (trans). For compound 1 both isomers are present in solution, showing particular temperature dependent NMR shifts. In the solid both compounds 1 and 2 adopt the trans arrangement. When 1 is reacted with PbCl₂ in half of the molarity ratio used for 2 , surprisingly the novel compound 3 , a zwitterion, can be obtained: [(tBu–N)(Al–H)₃(tBu–N(H))₃Cl((H)N–tBu)₃(Al–H)₂(Al–Cl)(N–tBu)]⁺[(tBu–N)(tBu–N(H))(AlCl₂)₂]^–. X‐ray structure analysis reveals that the anion is made of a tert‐butyl amino aluminum dichloride dimer (central Al₂N₂ ring) with one of the two nitrogen atoms being deprotonated. The cationic counterpart consists of three entities: (i) There is a first seco‐norcubane like Al₃N₄ basket with tert‐butyl groups at the nitrogen atoms, two hydride and one chloride ligand at the aluminum atoms and three hydrogen atoms on the open side of the basket, all pointing in the same direction; (ii) There is a second similar Al₃N₄ basket with the same substituent pattern except that all aluminum atoms have exclusively hydrogen ligands; (iii) Both baskets coordinate a central chloride through the six protons at the open nitrogen face of the baskets in such a way that the chloride lies in the center of a H₆ trigonal anti‐prism [mean H–Cl–H = 56.1(9)°]. As each of the open cages has a positive charge the overall charge by combination with the chloride adds to +1. The structure of the cationic part of 3 is unprecedented in AlN polycycles.     

Synthesis and modeling of new phosphorus‐containing acrylates

New methacrylate monomers containing phosphonic acid or both phosphonic and carboxylic acids were synthesized through the reaction of t‐butyl α‐bromomethyl acrylate with triethyl phosphite followed by the selective hydrolysis of the phosphonate or t‐butyl ester groups with trimethylsilyl bromide and trifluoroacetic acid. The copolymerization of these monomers with 2‐hydroxyethylmethacrylate was investigated with photodifferential scanning calorimetry at 40 °C with 2,2′‐dimethoxy‐2‐phenyl acetophenone as a photoinitiator. Quantum mechanical tools were also used to understand the mechanistic behavior of the polymerization reactions of these synthesized monomers. The propagation and chain‐transfer reactions were considered and rationalized. A strong effect of the monomer structure on the rate of polymerization was observed. The polymerization reactivities of the monomers increased with decreasing steric hindrance and/or increasing hydrogen‐bonding capacity because of the hydrolysis of the phosphonate and the t‐butyl ester groups. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2574–2583, 2005     

Metal‐catalyzed living radical graft copolymerization of olefins initiated from the structural defects of poly(vinyl chloride)

Commercial poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) contains allyl chloride and tertiary chloride groups as structural defects. This article reports the use of the active chloride groups from the structural defects of PVC as initiators for the metal‐catalyzed living radical graft copolymerization of PVC. The following monomers were investigated in graft copolymerization experiments: methyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, tert‐butyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, methacrylonitrile, acrylonitrile, styrene, 4‐chloro‐styrene, 4‐methyl‐styrene, and isobornylmethacrylate. Cu(0)/bpy, CuCl/bpy, CuBr/bpy, Cu₂O/bpy, Cu₂S/bpy, and Cu₂Se/bpy (where bpy = 2,2′‐bipyridine) were used as catalysts. Living radical polymerizations initiated from 1‐chloro‐3‐methyl‐2‐butene, allyl bromide, and 1,4‐dichloro‐2‐butene as models for the allyl chloride structural defects and from 3‐chloro‐3‐methyl‐pentane and 1,3‐dichloro‐3‐methylbutane as models for the tertiary chloride defects were studied. Graft copolymerization experiments were accessible in solution, in a swollen state, and in bulk. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1120–1135, 2001     

Synthesis and photopolymerization of new dental monomers from o‐hydroxyaryl phosphonates

Novel aromatic mono‐ and diphosphonate monomers based on t‐butyl α‐bromomethacrylate were prepared for use in dental composites. The synthesis of the two monomers involved three steps: the reaction of diethyl phosphite with phenol or hydroquinone, the rearrangement of the resulting phosphate derivatives into o‐hydroxyaryl phosphonates with lithium diisopropylamide, and the reaction of o‐hydroxyaryl phosphonates with t‐butyl α‐bromomethacrylate. Then, the selective hydrolysis of the t‐butyl ester groups of the monomers with trifluoroacetic acid gave the other carboxylic acid containing monomers. The photopolymerization behaviors of the synthesized monomers with glycerol dimethacrylate and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate were investigated with photodifferential scanning calorimetry at 40 °C with 2,2′‐dimethoxy‐2‐phenyl acetophenone as the photoinitiator. The hydrolysis of the t‐butyl groups of the monomers increased the reactivity and the rates of polymerization of the monomers. The mixtures of the acid monomers showed rates of polymerizations similar to those of homopolymerizations of triethylene glycol dimethacrylate and glycerol dimethacrylate. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6775–6781, 2006     

Synthesis and reaction of β‐hydroxyaspartic acid‐based polymethacrylate

O‐Methacryloyl‐N‐(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)‐β‐hydroxyaspartic acid dimethyl ester was synthesized by methyl esterification of β‐hydroxyaspartic acid, followed by protection of the amino group with the tert‐butoxycarbonyl group and then the reaction of the hydroxyl group with methacryloyl chloride. The monomer efficiently underwent radical polymerization to afford the corresponding polymer with a number‐average molecular weight of 42,000 in good yields. The alkaline hydrolysis of the polymer occurred not only at the methyl ester but also at the ester moiety between the main and side chains of the polymer. The methyl ester‐free polymer gradually released β‐hydroxyaspartic acid moiety in a phosphate buffer solution with pH = 7.3 and 7.8. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2782–2788, 2002     

Synthesis and helical conformation of poly(N‐propargylamides) carrying L‐aspartic acid in the side chain

Aspartic acid‐based novel poly(N‐propargylamides), i.e., poly[N‐(α‐tert‐butoxycarbonyl)‐L ‐aspartic acid β‐benzyl ester N′‐propargylamide] [poly( 1 )] and poly[N‐(α‐tert‐butoxycarbonyl)‐L ‐aspartic acid α‐benzyl ester N′‐propargylamide] [poly( 2 )] with moderate molecular weights were synthesized by the polymerization of the corresponding monomers 1 and 2 catalyzed with (nbd)Rh⁺[η⁶‐C₆H₅B^?(C₆H₅)₃] in CHCl₃ at 30 °C for 2 h in high yields. The chiroptical studies revealed that poly( 1 ) took a helical structure in DMF, while poly( 2 ) did not in DMF but did in CH₂Cl₂, CHCl₃, and toluene. The helicity of poly( 1 ) and poly( 2 ) could be tuned by temperature and solvents. Poly( 2 ) underwent solvent‐driven switch of helical sense, accompanying the change of the tightness. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5168–5176, 2005     

Synthesis,NMR‐Spectroscopy,and Molecular Structure of a Phosphonyl Ene Diamine

First examples of ene diamines with a phosphonate function at the C=C double bond were obtained by the reaction of dialkyl H‐phosphonates with bis(N‐tert‐butyl)‐diimine derived from glyoxal, [1,4‐bis(tert‐butyl)‐1,4‐diaza‐1,3‐butadiene], and isolated as hydrochlorides. Preferentially the cis‐diamine is formed. The new phosphonates are characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy(¹H, ¹³C, ³¹P). In addition the methyl ester 8a was characterized by ^14,15N NMR spectroscopy as well as by several 2D NMR techniques and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, unequivocally establishing the ene diamine structure. In the crystal dimers of the cations are formed by P–O ··· H–N hydrogen bonding.     

Conformation of N‐methyl‐4‐piperidyl 2,4‐dinitrobenzoate

The crystal structure of N‐methyl‐4‐piperidyl 2,4‐di­nitro­benzoate, C₁₃H₁₅N₃O₆, (I), at 130 (2) K reveals that, in the solid state, the mol­ecule exists in the equatorial conformation, (Ieq). Thus, the through‐bond interaction present in the axial conformation, (Iax), is not strong enough to overcome the syn–diaxial interactions between the axial methyl substituent and the axial H atoms on the two piperidyl ring C atoms either side of the ester‐linked ring C atom. The carboxyl­ate group in (I) is orthogonal to the aromatic ring, in contrast with other 2,4‐di­nitro­benzoates, which are coplanar. The piperidyl–ester C—O bond distance is 1.467 (3) Å, which is actually shorter than other equatorial cyclo­hexyl–ester C—O distances. This shorter piperidyl–ester C—O bond distance is due to the reduced electron demand of the orthogonal ester group.     

Heteroarm H‐shaped terpolymers through the combination of the Diels–Alder reaction and controlled/living radical polymerization techniques

Heteroarm H‐shaped terpolymers (PS)(PtBA)–PEO–(PtBA)(PS) and (PS)(PtBA)–PPO–(PtBA)(PS) [where PS is polystyrene, PtBA is poly(tert‐butyl acrylate), PEO is poly(ethylene oxide), and PPO is poly(propylene oxide)], containing PEO or PPO as a backbone and PS and PtBA as side arms, were prepared via the combination of the Diels–Alder reaction and atom transfer radical and nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization routes. Commercially available PEO or PPO containing bismaleimide end groups was reacted with a compound having an anthracene functionality, succinic acid anthracen‐9‐yl methyl ester 3‐(2‐bromo‐2‐methylpropionyloxy)‐2‐methyl‐2‐[2‐phenyl‐2‐(2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐1‐yloxy)ethoxycarbonyl]propyl ester, with a Diels–Alder reaction strategy. The obtained macroinitiator with tertiary bromide and 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐1‐oxy functional end groups was used subsequently in the atom transfer radical polymerization of tert‐butyl acrylate and in the nitroxide‐mediated free‐radical polymerization of styrene to produce heteroarm H‐shaped terpolymers with moderately low molecular weight distributions (<1.31). The polymers were characterized with ¹H NMR, ultraviolet, gel permeation chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3947–3957, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of novel resorcinarene‐centered amphiphilic star‐block copolymers consisting of eight ABA triblock arms by combination of ROP,ATRP, and click chemistry

Novel amphiphilic eight‐arm star triblock copolymers, star poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐block‐poly(acrylic acid)‐block‐poly(ε‐caprolactone)s (SPCL‐PAA‐PCL) with resorcinarene as core moiety were prepared by combination of ROP, ATRP, and “click” reaction strategy. First, the hydroxyl end groups of the predefined eight‐arm SPCLs synthesized by ROP were converted to 2‐bromoesters which permitted ATRP of tert‐butyl acrylate (tBA) to form star diblock copolymers: SPCL‐PtBA. Next, the bromide end groups of SPCL‐PtBA were quantitatively converted to terminal azides by NaN₃, which were combined with presynthesized alkyne‐terminated poly(ε‐caprolactone) (A‐PCL) in the presence of Cu(I)/N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine in DMF to give the star triblock copolymers: SPCL‐PtBA‐PCL. ¹H NMR, FTIR, and SEC analyses confirmed the expected star triblock architecture. The hydrolysis of tert‐butyl ester groups of the poly(tert‐butyl acrylate) blocks gave the amphiphilic star triblock copolymers: SPCL‐PAA‐PCL. These amphiphilic star triblock copolymers could self‐assemble into spherical micelles in aqueous solution with the particle size ranging from 20 to 60 nm. Their micellization behaviors were characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 2905–2916, 2009     

Modeling the free radical polymerization of acrylates

Acrylates have gained importance because of their ease of conversion to high‐molecular‐weight polymers and their broad industrial use. Methyl methacrylate (MMA) is a well‐known monomer for free radical polymerization, but its α‐methyl substituent restricts the chemical modification of the monomer and therefore the properties of the resulting polymer. The presence of a heteroatom in the methyl group is known to increase the polymerizability of MMA. Methyl α‐hydroxymethylacrylate (MHMA), methyl α‐methoxymethylacrylate (MC₁MA), methyl α‐acetoxymethylacrylate (MAcMA) show even better conversions to high‐molecular‐weight polymers than MMA. In contrast, the polymerization rate is known to decrease as the methyl group is replaced by ethyl in ethyl α‐hydroxymethylacrylate (EHMA) and t‐butyl in t‐butyl α‐hydroxymethylacrylate (TBHMA). In this study, quantum mechanical tools (B3LYP/6‐31G*) have been used in order to understand the mechanistic behavior of the free radical polymerization reactions of acrylates. The polymerization rates of MMA, MHMA, MC₁MA, MAcMA, EHMA, TBHMA, MC₁AN (α‐methoxymethyl acrylonitrile), and MC₁AA (α‐methoxymethyl acrylic acid) have been evaluated and rationalized. Simple monomers such as allyl alcohol (AA) and allyl chloride (AC) have also been modeled for comparative purposes. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

以手性相转移催化剂为配体的单分子Cu (II)配合物及其不对称催化反应

在加热条件下,手性相转移催化剂氯化- N -（4-乙烯基苄基）辛可尼定（L1）与氯化铜在2-丁醇中反应,可得到一个单一手性的二价铜单分子配合物 N -（4-乙烯基苄基）辛可尼定三氯化铜(1)。配合物（1）和配体(L1)都可用于催化 N -（二苯基亚甲基）氨基乙酸叔丁基酯（3）烷基化反应,催化结果表明：使用配合物N-（4-乙烯基苄基）辛可尼定三氯化铜的反应对映体选择性比使用配体的更高,配合物催化能力的提高可能与配合物中喹啉环的N原子与铜配位、分子刚性增加有关。     

Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis of Novel 2,4‐Dihydro‐5‐[4‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]‐3H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐ones and Potentiometric Determination of Their pKa in Nonaqueous Solvents

The novel 4‐amino‐ or 4‐aryl‐substituted 2,4‐dihydro‐5‐[(4‐trifluoromethyl)phenyl]‐3H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐3‐ones 3a – 3g were synthesized by reaction of N‐(ethoxycarbonyl)‐4‐(trifluoromethyl)benzenehydrazonic acid ethyl ester ( 2 ) and primary amines or hydrazine by microwave irradiation. Compounds 3a – 3g were potentiometrically titrated with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (Bu₄NOH) in four nonaqueous solvents, i.e., ⁱPrOH, ^tBuOH, MeCN, and N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF). Also half‐neutralization potential values and the corresponding pK_a values were determined in all cases.     

Cyclization of dialkylpropyn‐1‐yl(allyl)(3‐isopropenylpropyn‐2‐yl)ammonium bromides and water‐base cleavage of 2,2‐dialkyl‐5‐methyl‐2,6,7,7a‐tetrahydro‐1h‐isoindolium and 2,2‐dialkyl‐5‐methylisoindolinium bromides

Dialkylpropyn‐1‐yl(or allyl)(3‐isopropenylpropyn‐2‐yl)ammonium bromides under base‐catalyzed condition instantly undergo intramolecular cyclization. The cyclization of dialkylpropyn‐1‐yl(3‐isopropenylpropyn‐2‐yl)ammonium bromides leads to the formation of 2,2‐dialkyl‐5‐methylisoindolinium salts. In case of allyl analogs, instead of the expected 2,2‐dialkyl‐6‐methyl‐3a,4‐dihydroisoindolinium salts their isomeric forms ‐ 2,2‐dialkyl‐5‐methyl‐2,6,7,7a‐tetrahydro‐1H‐isoindolium bromides are obtained. In alkaline medium they are transform into the dihydroisoindolinium salts, the cleavage of which in two directions ‐ 1,2 and 1,6 leads to the mixture of isomeric dialkyl‐1,4‐dimethyl‐ and 2,4‐dimethylbenzyl‐amines. Study of the behavior of 2,2‐dialkyl‐5‐methylisoindolinium salts under conditions of water‐base cleavage showed, that only spiro[5‐methylisoindolyn]morpholinium bromide undergoes 1,2‐elimination, forming 5‐methylisoindoline 2‐vinyl ethyl ester.     

Nickel Chloride Hexahydrate Catalyzed Multicomponent Biginelli's Synthesis of 3,4‐Dihydropyrimidin‐2(1H)‐Ones and Thiones

An efficient protocol is reported for the one‐pot three‐component Bignelli synthesis of a series of 3,4‐dihydropyrimidine‐2(1H )‐ones and thiones in good yields (66–90%) from the aldehydes (4‐benzyloxybenzaldehyde, 5‐bromovanilin, 4‐formyl‐1‐cyclohexene, and trans‐cinnamaldehyde), β‐keto esters (ethyl acetoacetate, allyl acetoacetate, and t‐butyl acetoacetate), and urea/thiourea in ethanol, using nickel chloride hexahydrate as a catalyst.     

New,strong cationic hydrogels: Preparation of N,N,N′,N′‐tetraallyl piperazinium dibromide and its copolymers with N,N‐diallyl morpholinium bromide

N,N,N′,N′‐tetraallyl piperazinium dibromide (TAP) has been prepared in high yields by quaternization of N,N′‐diallyl piperazine with allyl bromide. Herein, we have described preparation of nonhydrolysable, strong, cationic hydrogels by copolymerization of TAP with N,N‐diallyl morpholinium bromide (DAM) in the presence of t‐butyl hydroperoxide as initiator in aqueous solutions. Because the monomer and crosslinker involved consist of quaternary amine functions, these hydrogels are fully cationic and do not carry hydrolysable groups. Contrary to expectations, the quaternary amine hydrogels presented do not show any super absorbency, instead dry gel particles in water undergo spontaneous disintegration with an audible bursting of the particles due to instantaneous, high osmotic pressure. Whereas, in KBr or HBr solutions, the swellings are relatively slow. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1006–1013, 2000