Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide/Chromium(III) Acetate Gel Chemistry

Proton NMR and visible spectroscopy are used to investigate the chemistry of hydrolyzed polyacrylamide/chromium acetate gels. Color changes in conjunction with HNMR are used to monitor chromium acetate hydrolysis, and HNMR is used to characterize Polyacrylamide in solution and to monitor increases of free acetate and decreases of polymer backbone proton and amide proton resonances during gel formation. The data indicate that chromium acetate hydrolysis is halted by polymer coordination. The polymer cross-linking reaction appears to be a simple replacement of chromium(III) coordinated acetate groups on the chromium(III) trimer by polymer carboxylate groups.