Preparation of Water-soluble Polydithiocarbonates and Effective Copper Ion Isolation Through Polymer Binding

: Water-soluble poly(dithiocarbonate)s were prepared through cationic ring-opening polymerization of 5-mem-bered cyclic dithiocarbonates containing hydrophilic substituents, such as alcohol, triethyleneglycol, and morpholine. The morpholine attached monomer underwent polymerization in CF 3 CO 2 H solvent, leading to in-situ protonation of an amine moiety as a catalyst scavenger. When the prepared polymers were exposed to an aqueous copper(II) ion solution, the concentration of free copper ion was measured by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy after adding a rhodamine chemosensor. A characteristic absorption of a copper-rhodamine complex at 560 nm was weakened with polymer addition, indicating consumption of free copper ion through the formation of copper-polymer complex. The absorption intensity of 0.5 µm copper solution was reduced to 1/4 in the presence of a 200 ppm polymer.