Molecular Interactions in Poly(ethylene glycol)–Water Mixtures at Various Temperatures: Density and Isentropic Compressibility Study

Abstract

The densities and sound velocities of mixtures of water with poly(ethylene glycol), poly(ethylene glycol) monomethylether, and poly(ethylene glycol) dimethylether with mean molar weights between 250 and 500 have been measured as a function of mixture composition and temperature between 10 and 40 degrees C. Isentropic compressibilities are derived from the data and are compared to those for the ethylene glycol/water system and for other organic solvent/water mixtures. Relative minima in the mixture volume to ideal volume ratio and in the dependence of the compressibility upon mixture composition are discussed in terms of the conformational variability of the chainlike oligomers, of hydrogen-bonded networks, and of water clusters between the oligomer chains.