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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 1999  > January  >
In the Classroom
Synthesis of Colored Superabsorbent Polymer and Its Use To Demonstrate Convection Currents in Water by Heating
Morio Takaki and Toshiyuki Itoh
Okayama University Faculty of Education, Department of Chemistry, 3-1-1 Tsushimanaka, Okayama 700, Japan
Cover
January 1999
Vol. 76 No. 1
p. 62
Abstract
Superabsorbent polymer is well known to be capable of absorbing thousands of times its weight of water. Superabsorbent polymer gel is used here to exhibit a convection current of water by heating because with its high absorbent property the gel's density is almost equal to that of water. However, for good demonstration of the experiment it is necessary to use a colored polymer gel that is optimally cross-linked. The synthesis of colored polyacrylic acids for use as a new teaching material is described here. After evaluating several pigments to color the polymer acid, we found commercial polyacrylic pigment (Mr. Color [oily] from Gunze Co. Ltd.) and safranin O to be the most suitable color agents for these experiments.
More Information
*  Citation
 Takaki, Morio; Itoh, Toshiyuki. J. Chem. Educ. 1999 76 62.
*  Keywords
 Organic Chemistry; Polymer Chemistry; Teaching / Learning Aids; Organic Synthesis; Demonstrations
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 June 15, 1999
June 22, 2005
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