Copolymers from Acrylic Acid and Vinylsulfonic Acid

Poly [(sodium acrylate) -co- (sodium vinyl sulfonate)] P (A-VS) with a no.-av. molecular weight (Mn) of 380026850 and poly (sodium vinylsulfonate) (PVS) with a Mn of 5040 were prepared and their detergency building powers were examined. Their sequestering power for Ca2+ and dispersing power for MnO2 were determined and compared with the corresponding properties for oligomeric poly (sodium acrylate), tripolyphosphate (STPP) and disodium 3-oxapentanedioate (ODA). The biodegra clability of the oligomers was also studied under aerobic conditions.Oligomeric P (A-VS) showed better detergency building performance than that of ODA, but was slightly inferior to those of STPP and oligomeric poly (sodium acrylate). Oligomeric P (A-VS) was more biodegradable than the corresponding sodium acrylate oligomer. Introduction of sulfonate groups to sodium acrylate oligomers promoted their biodegradability.