Exchange equilibria of anion resins, 1. Effect of physical structure of macroporous styrene‐divinylbenzene copolymers

Anion exchange equilibria on benzyltrimethylammonium resins are studied on solvent‐modified copolymer matrices prepared from styrene‐divinylbenzene suspension copolymers obtained in the presence of a series of unbranched alkanes (C7  C16) and toluene. Equilibria involving the exchange of chloride anions for bromide, iodide and perchlorate in dilute 0,01 M aqueous solutions were determined by the limited batch technique. It is found that the structure of the copolymer depends strongly on the interaction of an inert solvent with the copolymer during its formation. This structure affects the hydration of the functional groups and counter‐ions in the gel phase and consequently brings about a variation of the selectivity of the resin.