Liquid Chromatographic Analysis of Styrene-Methacrylate and Styrene-Acrylate Copolymers

Abstract

Abstract Copolymers of styrene-methacrylate (methyl-, ethyl-, and n-butyl-) and styrene-acrylate (methyl-, ethyl-, and n-butyl-) were prepared by solution polymerization at a low degree of conversion. These copolymers were separated according to composition by liquid adsorption chromatography. Silica gel was the stationary phase and a mixture of chloroform and ethanol was the mobile phase. Ethanol content in the mobile phase affected the elution of the copolymers and methacrylate or acrylate rich copolymers required much ethanol to elute from a column. The retention of the copolymers was controlled by column temperature and the copolymers tended to retain in a column at higher column temperature. A linear gradient elution method way to increase ethanol in the mobile chase was effective to separate the copolymers in the order of increasing the methacrylate or acrylate content. Styrene rich copolymers eluted first from a column. Resolution between two adjacent peaks was improved with the increase in column temperature. In a mixture of copolymers of styrene-methacrylate or styrene-acrylate (methyl, ethyl, and n-butyl) having the same styrene content, the elution was in the order of n-butyl, ethyl, and methyl methacrylate or acrylate copolymers with styrene. In copolymrs having the same styrene content, a mixture of copolymrs having diffrent ester groups was separated and a mixtue of copolymrs having the same estr group (e.g., styrene-methyl mth-acrylate and styrene-methyl acrylate copolymers) was not separated.