Sodium polystyrene sulfonate (or polystyrene sulfonic acid ) is a type of polymer and ionomer based on polystyrene .

The polyanion is readily soluble in water, and insoluble in lower alcohols. more

Sodium polystyrene sulfonate (or polystyrene sulfonic acid ) is a type of polymer and ionomer based on polystyrene .

The polyanion is readily soluble in water, and insoluble in lower alcohols. The solid appears as white or off-white powder.

It may be prepared by polymerization or copolymerization of sodium styrene sulfonate or by sulfonation of polystyrene. The harsh conditions used in this procedure lead to the occurrence of a number of side reactions. Double substitutions of the phenyl rings are known to occur, even with conversions well below 100%. Crosslinking reactions are also found, where condensation of two sulfonic acid groups yield a sulfonyl crosslink. On the other hand, the use of milder conditions such as acetyl sulfate leads to incomplete sulfonation. Recently, the ATRP (Atom transfer Radical Polymerization) of protected styrenesulfonates has been reported, [ 1 ] leading to well defined linear polymers, as well as more complicated molecular architectures. [ 2 ] less