| Abstract: | The reaction of diallyl amine with 1,3‐propane sultone led to the synthesis of the zwitterionic monomer 3‐(N,N‐diallylammonio)propanesulfonate. The sulfobetaine was cyclopolymerized in water in the presence of sodium chloride with t‐butylhydroperoxide as an initiator to afford a polysulfobetaine (PSB) in very good yield. PSB, upon treatment with sodium hydroxide, was converted into an anionic polyelectrolyte (APE). Although APE was readily soluble in salt‐free water, PSB needed the presence of low‐molecular‐weight salts (e.g., NaCl, KI, etc., in the range of 0.135–1.04 N) for its dissolution. The solution properties of PSB and APE were investigated with potentiometric and viscometric techniques. The basicity constant of the amine was apparent and followed the modified Henderson–Hasselbalch equation; as the degree of protonation (α) of the whole macromolecule increases, the protonation of the amine nitrogens becomes increasingly more difficult. The composition and phase diagram of the aqueous two‐phase systems of APE/PSB and poly(ethylene glycol) were also explored. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 172–184, 2003 |
