New sulfur-containing polymeric sorbents based on 2,2′-thiobisethanol dimethacrylate

Abstract

Abstract The first step in obtaining of a specific polymer sorbent containing sulfur atoms was the synthesis of a functional monomer – 2,2′-thiobisethanol dimethacrylate (TEDM). Synthesis consists of the reaction of 2,2′-thiobisethanol with methacryloyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine in methylene chloride. The new poly(dimethacrylate)s materials containing sulfur atoms were synthesized in radical suspension polymerization. Homopolymerization of 2,2′-thiobisethanol dimethacrylate and its copolymerization with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate or pentaerythritol tetraacrylate were carried out. The selection of synthesis conditions determines the parameters of the polymer structure and its properties. The presence of sulfur atoms in polymer chains resulted in specific donor-acceptor interactions, which can intensify sorption ability towards metal ions belonging to the group of soft acids. Therefore, the sorption properties of the obtained materials have been determined based on the recovery of precious metal ions, such as gold(III) and silver(I).