Making and Using a Sensing Polymeric Material for Cu2+: An Introduction to Polymers and Chemical Sensing

• Jean R. Paddock ^[1] ; Anne T. Maghasi ^[1] ; William R. Heineman ^[1] ; Carl J. Seliskar ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Cincinnati

     University of Cincinnati

     City of Cincinnati, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 82, Nº 9, 2005, pág. 1370
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • In this experiment, students will be introduced to concepts of polymer chemistry, chemical sensors, metal chelates, spectroscopy, and quantitative analytical methods. A polymer network is generated by students and consists of crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) blended with the polyelectrolyte poly(acrylic acid), which is then doped with the spectroscopically-active chelating agent PAN, 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-napthol. All components of this hydrogel serve as an ion-exchange medium trapping cations that, when exposed to solutions of 2+ metals, can act as a material in a chemical sensor. The doped polymer network is exposed to various concentrations of Cu2+ for 1 hour. The formation of a PAN–Cu complex (λmax = 550 nm) is monitored spectroscopically. A calibration curve for the complex is generated and can be used to identify Cu2+ samples of unknown concentration.