AMPHOTERIC POLY(AMIDO-AMINE) POLYMERS CONTAINING THE ETHYLENEDIANMINE-N,N'-DIACETIC ACID MOIETY - STABILITY OF COPPER(II) AND CALCIUM(II) CHELATES

The thermodynamics of protonation and complexing ability with Cu-II an d Ca-II ions of synthetic polyampholytes containing ethylenediamine-N, N'-diacetic acid residues is reported. The free and two cross-linked p olymers, of poly(amido-amino) structure, have been studied in aqueous media (0.1 M NaCl and 25 degrees C) mainly by potentiometry and soluti on calorimetry. Potentiometric and calorimetric titration curves have been fitted only with two basicity constants and two enthalpy changes, both relative to the protonation equilibria of the two amino nitrogen s in each repeating unit. The first protonation step always revealed g reater thermodynamic values owing to electrostatic and inductive effec ts. The metal ion equilibrium constant revealed only a single complex species of (ML)-L-II stoichiometry (where L2- is the repeating unit of the polymer in the ionized form) with a considerably higher log beta value for Cu-II. The Cut species was present over a wide range of acid ity (pH 2-12), while CaL formed appreciably only above pH 5. The entha lpy change (-Delta H degrees) of the Cu-II complex species was also co nsiderably greater than that of Ca-II, suggesting a strong chemical bo nd in the former case in which d orbitals are utilized. Both cross-lin ked polymers retained the same ability to form metal complexes in the same pH range.