Aqueous phase size exclusion chromatography of polyvinylalcohols of different degrees of hydrolysis

The aqueous-phase size exclusion chromatography (SEC) represents a suitable method for the analysis of molecular weight distribution (MWD) of polyvinylalcohols (PVOHs) of different degree of hydrolysis ranging from 72 to 98 mol-% applying the Suprema columns. Eluents of different composition were used consisting of either a mixture of water and acetonitrile for the lower degrees of hydrolysis (72 - 88 mol-%) or 0.1 M LiNO₃ solution for the higher degrees of hydrolysis (88 - 98 mol-%). By knowing the M̄_w̄ values of commercially available PVOHs samples of a given degree of hydrolysis and using the commercial water soluble narrow distribution standards, a principle of the constant hydrodynamic equivalence ratios was applied to obtain the absolute values of the molecular weights of PVOHs of different degree of hydrolysis. The effect of a various number of extrusion cycles on MWD of different PVOHs was used to demonstrate the sensitivity of the selected SEC conditions.