Polysoaps. IV. Dissolution phenomena of a poly‐4‐vinylpyridine derivative

A polysoap was prepared from poly‐4‐vinylpyridine by quaternizing 43.4% of the pyridine nitrogens with ethyl bromide and 46.7% with n ‐dodecyl bromide. Temperatures considerably higher than 25°C. were necessary to bring the polysoap into solution; but, once prepared, the solutions remained stable when cooled to 25°C. Viscosities measured just after the polymer had dissolved were irreproducible. On further heating, the viscosity decreased, eventually reaching a constant value which was reproducible. The viscosity decreases of three portions of a 0.5% solution was followed at 45°C., 55°C., and 65°C., respectively, and it was found to be fastest at the highest at the highest of these temperatures and slowest at the lowest. The final values reached at all three temperatures were approximately the same. These results are consistent with the assumption that the initially irreproducible viscosities are due to clusters of polysoap molecules which have not had enough time to break up. Prolonged heating is necessary to produce complete dissolution into individual molecules. Once reproducibility was attained it was shown that the polysoap exhibited essentially the same viscosity and solubilization characteristics as had previously been observed for polysoaps derived from poly‐2‐vinylpyridine.