Fate of acrylamide monomer following application of polyacrylamide to cropland

Abstract

Acrylamide (AMD) is the basic\nmonomeric unit used in the production\nof a major class of water soluble\npolymers, generically termed polyacrylamides\n(PAMs). The structural\nformula of AMD is shown in Fig. 1.\n\n\n\nUnder the proper conditions and with\nsuitable catalysts, AMD can polymerize\nwith other molecules of AMD, or\nwith other vinyl monomers to yield\nproducts with extremely high molecular\nweights. PAMs with molecular\nweights in excess of 10 million,\ni.e. with chain lengths of more than\n105,000 monomeric units, are produced\ncommercially. By utilizing the\nappropriate comonomers or by postreaction\nwith other reagents, these\npolymers may be cationic, nonionic.\nor in the case of those used to control\nsoil erosion, anionic. The anionic reaction\nproduct of AMD and a salt of\nacrylic acid is shown in Fig. 2. The\nsame chemical structure can also be\nproduced by hydrolysis of the nonionic\nhomopolymer of AMD or by\nhydrolysis of polyacrylonitrile.