The Proton Affinity Spectrum of Polyethylenimine

Abstract

The characterization of polymers and surfaces with a large number of different sites is difficult, mainly due to problems in the numerical solution of the integral equation involved. New numerical tools developed which can be used on PCs allow to solve these problems today at the bench. This opens new possibilities to characterize equilibria in heterogeneous systems and polymer solutions. We encourage analytical chemists to use these new tools and to develop a feeling for the limits of the method in different applications. In this contribution, we report the interpretation of the titration curves of different types of polyethylenimines in aqueous solution as an example of this new approach.