Chain length anionic polyelectrolyte

K. Thalberg, B. Lindman, and G. Karlstrom Phase Behavior of Cationic Surfactant and Anionic Polyelectrolyte Influence of Surfactant Chain Length and Polyelectrolyte Molecular Weight. J. Phys. Chem. 95, 3370 (1991). 

Recently, Muller et al. studied block and graft copolymers poly(n-butyl acrylate)-Wocfc/gra/f-poly(acrylic acid), PnBA-h/g-PAA [136]. The non-polar block/backbone has a low glass transition temperature, thus dynamic micelles were expected the ionic block/side-chains are weak anionic polyelectrolytes, thus a strong dependence of micellization on pH could be expected. The graft copolymers were synthesized by ATRP copolymerization of poly(-ferf-butyl acrylate) macromonomers with n-butyl acrylate, followed by hydrolysis of the terf-butyl acrylate side-chains to PAA [137]. The length of the PAA side chains was varied from 20 to 85 monomer units and their number from 1.5 to 10, whereas the length of the backbone was kept at ca. 130 units. 

We have initiated a series of investigations to study the catalytic effects of a class of cationic polyelectrolytes ranging in solution behavior from "normal" polyions to polysoaps upon the alkaline hydrolysis of neutral and anionic phenyl esters of varying chain lengths. Employing these catalysts of varying hydrophylic-hydrophobic character in reactions of neutral and anionic substrates of varied hydrophilic-hydrophobic character, it should be possible to elucidate the contributions of both the hydrophobic interactions and electrostatic interactions on the rate of reaction. 

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