Continuous monitoring of the swelling behaviour of gel-type reactive polymers and chromatographic media: Some practical applications of the technique

A new technique allowing monitoring of the swelling behaviour of gelatinous polymeric reagents and chromatographic supports is described. It is based up on the application of a continuous flow ‘zero dead volume operating’ reaction system of original design equipped with a potentiometric pickup kinematically attached to the movable piston of the reactor. The latter transduces the polymer bed volume change into an electrical signal that can be conveniently registered on a common laboratory chart recorder. The proposed method provides rapid access to swelling data of the polymer and, moreover, for the first time allows for real-time investigation of swelling dynamics of reactive polymers that are involved in chemical and/or physical process. The practical scope of the technique is illustrated by the results of its application in solid phase peptide synthesis, ion exchange and studies of swelling behaviour of resins and gel-type polymeric reagents.