Polymer NSR spectroscopy. I. The motion and configuration of polymer chains in solution

Abstract

Abstract Many polymers in solution exhibit well‐resolved NSR spectra, in contrast to the broad peaks observed for the solid state. The peaks for polystyrene dissolved in carbon tetrachloride are not very much broader than those of cumene and other small organic molecules. When segmental motion is restricted or prevented, polymer peaks may become very broad even in solution. This is observed for poly‐γ‐benzyl‐L‐glutamate in trichloroethylene, in which it probably exists as large aggregates of α‐helices. It is shown that the α‐helical conformation itself is not responsible for this broadening. Many proteins also show poorly resolved spectra in the native state, but well‐resolved peaks in the unfolded state. Large “anomalous” shifts observed in the positions of the proton peaks in the NSR spectra of polystyrene and substituted polystyrenes are interpreted in terms of a π‐current model of the benzene ring. It is concluded that where sequences of 10 or more phenyl groups are present on a polymer chain, they tend to cluster together in a quasi‐crystalline arrangement.