Chemical modification of styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers by dialkyl phosphites

Abstract

Chloromethylated styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers were treated with dialkyl phosphites to obtain cation exchangers with phosphorus-containing acid groups. The gel and macroporous styrene-divinylbenzene (St-DVB) copolymers of Wofatit type were used. The influence of the phosphite (R=CH 3, C 2H 5) as well as of the copolymer structure (gel, macroporous) on the course of the phosphorylation and of the ester bond hydrolysis was investigated. The cation exchangers with -PO(OH)(OR) functional groups were obtained and their main properties (density, swelling, ion exchange capacity, p K a , thermal stability, i.r. spectra) were determined.