Water-soluble copolymers. XXV. Ion-binding studies of N-substituted acrylamide copolymers using potentiometric and spectroscopic methods

Spectroscopic and potentiometric methods have been used to study the ionic properties of several N-substituted acrylamide copolymers that display unusual ion-binding character. The ionic groups and the amide groups (both on the same repeating unit and on adjacent acrylamide units) in the copolymers are found to chelate calcium ions. The stabilizing effect of this amide chelation is found to be dependent on copolymer composition. A model is proposed to explain the unusual binding behavior of the acrylamide polymers. This involves the formation of an intramonomer chelate or one with neighboring acrylamide units that prevent precipitation of the polymers.