Study of polymer–solvent interactions by gas chromatography. Copolymers of vinyl acetate and vinyl alcohol with hydrocarbons and alcohols

The specific retention volumes of nine hydrocarbons and 12 alcohols were measured at several temperatures within the range 120–150°C in columns whose stationary phases were poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and four copolymers of vinyl acetate and vinyl alcohol with 94.8, 74.4, 60.9, and 43.4 mol % of vinyl acetate units (mol % VAc). No chromatographic retention for hydrocarbons was detected in columns loaded with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) or a copolymer with 11.9 mol % VAc. The retention trends are discussed and the polymers solubility parameters (δ 2 ) were computed from the measured Flory–Huggins χ parameters. The copolymers δ 2 values increase almost linearly with decreasing mol % VAc; PVAc, however, has a distinct behavior. The limitations of the approach in the prediction of χ parameters are discussed.