Polymerization, macromolecule degree

Satoh, M., Komiyama, J. lijima, T. (1984). Counterion condensation in polyelectrolyte solutions a theoretical prediction of the dependences on the ionic strength and degree of polymerization. Macromolecules, 18, 1195-2000. 

Proteins, peptides, and other polymeric macromolecules display varying degrees of chemical and physical stability. The degree of stability of these macromolecules influence the way they are manufactured, distributed, and administered. Chemical stability refers to how readily the molecule can undergo chemical reactions that modify specific amino-acid residues, the building blocks of the proteins and peptides. Chemical instability mechanisms of proteins and peptides include hydrolysis, deamidation, racemization, beta-elimination, disulfide exchange, and oxidation. Physical stability refers to how readily the molecule loses its tertiary and/or sec-... 

Gridnev AA, Ittel SD. Dependence of free-radical propagation rate constants on the degree of polymerization. Macromolecules 1996 29 5864-5874. 

This review has shown that the analogy between P=C and C=C bonds can indeed be extended to polymer chemistry. Two of the most common uses for C=C bonds in polymer science have successfully been applied to P=C bonds. In particular, the addition polymerization of phosphaalkenes affords functional poly(methylenephosphine)s the first examples of macromolecules with alternating phosphorus and carbon atoms. The chemical functionality of the phosphine center may lead to applications in areas such as polymer-supported catalysis. In addition, the first n-conjugated phosphorus analogs of poly(p-phenylenevinylene) have been prepared. Comparison of the electronic properties of the polymers with molecular model compounds is consistent with some degree of n-conjugation in the polymer backbone. 

All polymers are giant molecules made up of repeating units called monomers or mers. These units may be the same or different. The number of monomers that join to form a polymer or macromolecule is called the degree of polymerization and is theoretically infinite, but, in practice, the number of monomer units is commonly in the range of 1000 to 20,000 if no crosslinks are present. 

A way to narrow the MWD and to approach the structure of dendrimers is the addition of a small fraction of a/-functional initiator, to inimers [40,71]. In this process the obtainable degree of polymerization is limited by the ratio of inimer to initiator. It can be conducted in two ways (i) inimer molecules can be added so slowly to the initiator solution that they can only react with the initiator molecules or with the already formed macromolecules, but not with each other (semi-batch process). Thus, each macromolecule generated in such a process will contain one initiator core but no vinyl group. Then, the polydispersity index is quite low and decreases with / M /Mn l-i-l//. (ii) Alternatively, initiator and monomer molecules can be mixed instantaneously (batch process). Here, the normal SCVP process and the process shown above compete and both kinds of macromolecules will be formed. For this process the polydispersity index also decreases with/,but is higher than for the semi-batch process, M /Mn=Pn//. ... 

The rheological behaviour of polymeric solutions is strongly influenced by the conformation of the polymer. In principle one has to deal with three different conformations, namely (1) random coil polymers (2) semi-flexible rod-like macromolecules and (2) rigid rods. It is easily understood that the hydrody-namically effective volume increases in the sequence mentioned, i.e. molecules with an equal degree of polymerisation exhibit drastically larger viscosities in a rod-like conformation than as statistical coil molecules. An experimental parameter, easily determined, for the conformation of a polymer is the exponent a of the Mark-Houwink relationship [25,26]. In the case of coiled polymers a is between 0.5 and 0.9,semi-flexible rods exhibit values between 1 and 1.3, whereas for an ideal rod the intrinsic viscosity is found to be proportional to M2. 

Polymer products synthesized in laboratories and in industry represent a set of individual chemical compounds whose number is practically infinite. Macro-molecules of such products can differ in their degree of polymerization, tactici-ty, number of branchings and the lengths that connect their polymer chains, as well as in other characteristics which describe the configuration of the macromolecule. In the case of copolymers their macromolecules are known to also vary in composition and the character of the alternation of monomeric units of different types. As a rule, it is impossible to provide an exhaustive quantitative description of such a polymer system, i.e. to indicate concentrations of all individual compounds with a particular chemical (primary) structure. However, for many practical purposes it is often enough to define a polymer specimen only in terms of partial distributions of molecules for some of their main characteristics (such as, for instance, molecular weight or composition) avoiding completely a... 

The above phenomenon is due to the pronounced polydispersity of these products in their chemical size l described by the Flory exponential distribution. Because the composition of each macromolecule of the sample under investigation is unambiguously related to its degree of polymerization l, the Flory distribution for l in a polymer sample is responsible for its significant composition inhomogeneity. 

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