POLYMER-SMALL MOLECULE INTERACTIONS.

Abstract

Interactions of polymer with water, with ions and with surfactants are discussed. For non-polar solutes, the strength of the interaction between water molecules causes hydrophobic groups to aggregate and it requires other changes or polar entities to provide the energy necessary for solubility in water. In contrast, the interaction of water with hydrophillic groups of polymers has been less studied and is more complicated. There is an increasing amount of evidence, though none of it is conclusive, that the ordering of water around hydrophilic groups may extend beyond the first one or two layers. This long range ordering may well influence the closeness approach of other hydrated species in solution, such as ions, and thus the phase behavior of polymers in salt solution.