Copolymerization of Vinylbenzyl Thymine and Vinylphenylsulfonic Salt. Mathematical Modeling and Characterization of the Obtained Water-Soluble Polymers

F. GARCÍA; D. MARTINO; D. ESTENOZ; G. MEIRA; J. WARNER

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Simposio; MACRO, World Polymer Congress, 41st International Symposium on Macromolecules; 2006

The synthesis of styrene-based, ionically-charged biopolymers containing thymine was experimental- and theoretically investigated. The ionic pendant groups make the polymer water-soluble, while an UV-induced photocyclization of two adjacent thymines can modify such solubility. The copolymerization was modeled assuming that the comonomers exhibited the standard low-temperature styrene kinetic. The final conversion was gravimetrically determined, and theaverage molecular weights were measured by Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC). Also, the kinetic constants were obtained by fitting with the experimental measurements.