AbstractA study was made of the effect of carboxylic monomers, such as itaconic acid, acrylic acid, and methacrylic acid, on the relative distribution of acid in the aqueous serum phase to that on the latex surface to that buried in the particle of carboxylated polystyrene latices prepared by emulsion polymerization. The relative acid distribution of the carboxylated latices was determined by the conductometric titration method of Hen. Effect of carboxylic monomer levels and latex particle size on acid distribution ratio are given. It is shown that itaconic acid, being the most hydrophilic and having the least solubility in styrene, tends to distribute itself in favor of the aqueous serum phase, while acrylic acid, which has limited solubility in styrene and being sufficiently hydrophilic, tends to prefer the particle surface predominantly. Methacrylic acid, being the most hydrophobic of the three carboxylic monomers studied and having good solubility in styrene, is shown to be concentrated inside the particle core. The observed results are compared with other similar findings in the literature and analyzed in the light of accepted mechanisms for emulsion polymerization of carboxylated styrene systems.
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