| Abstract: | Previous methods of proof of grafting are based on separation of homopolymers from crude reaction products and further characterization of extracted component. This article reports the proof of grafting by a combined use of viscometry and enzyme hydrolysis that, to our knowledge, has not been reported so far. Two series of graft copolymers of amylopectin with polyacrylamide were synthesized using ceric ion-induced redox initiation technique. In the first series, a variation of ceric ion concentration at fixed acrylamide concentration and in the second series, a variation of acrylamide concentration at fixed ceric ion concentration were undertaken to effect a variation in the number and length of polyacrylamide chains. Qualitatively, it has been observed that there may be some homopolymers formed at a very high acrylamide concentration. The products may at best be a mixture of graft copolymer and homopolymer, but it contradicts the view that the products are purely physical mixtures of polysaccharide and polyacrylamide. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 70: 2627–2633, 1998 |
