Synthetic polymers chelating properties

Knowledge about natural metal chelates induced in the first stage researdi work for artificial low molecular metal dielates. Secondly experience about the important environmental effect of natural polymers like apoprotein lead to research on the combination of synthetic polymers with a metal chelate. By intensive investigation in these fields new combinations of metal dielate/polymer may be found, even with unknown properties. 

Polyvinylpyrrolidone is thus utilized as either aqueous or organic solutions in a multitude of applications. Many of these applications are also related to the chelating properties of this polymer. Thus, it forms complexes with molecular iodine (I2) and can thus be used as a reservoir of this molecule whose disinfecting properties are well known. It also gives strong interactions with natural and synthetic dyes and thus facilitates their anchoring on textile fibers by complexation with the corresponding polymers. 

One of the best purification processes so far discovered is based on the coordination properties of synthetic chelating polymers containing functional thiol groups [1]. Typically, effluents rejected by industries where mercury electrodes are extensively used have been purified through resins prepared with a styrene/diyjnylbenzene copolymer functionalized with thiol groups [2]. 

This paper describes the synthetic results and metal coordination properties of several new selective chelating polymers, linked via methyleneamino bridges to the macromolecu-lar network (partial results were previously presented at several conferences [9-11]). 

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