Polymer swelling. Part 17: Systematization of steric effects on adsorption parameters as exemplified by swelling of poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) to saturation using linear and non-linear acyclic aliphatic ether liquids

The adsorption parameters (α) for five branched aliphatic ethers were established experimentally in the usual way [17]. It was shown that when this set of α-values is combined with the set already established for the unbranched ethers [17], the union set enables one to estimate with reasonable confidence the α-values for all the possible structural permutations derivable from the general molecular structure [GMS] H(CH2)m+1[(CH3)q′CH2−q′ OCH2−q(CH3)q](CH2)n+1H, and for a portion of those that are derivable from the GMS (CH3)q′+1CH2−q′[(CH2)mO(CH2)n]CH2−q(CH3)q+1, using the corresponding Log α vs N linear relationship deduced in these and earlier sorption studies, in which N = m+n+q+q′+4. It was shown that the data for the α-values derived thereby comprise a self-consistent rigidly interconnected multidimensional universe of linear Log α vs N relationships that represent series of subsets of the above GMSs resulting from varying one integer (m+n+q or ′) while the other three are held constant.