Sodium polyaspartate
Sodium polyaspartate is a sodium salt of polyaspartic acid. It is biodegradable condensation polymer based on the amino acid aspartic acid.Polymerization
The polymerization reaction is an example of a step-growth polymerization to a polyamide and in one practical procedure aspartic acid is simply heated to 180 °C resulting in water release and the formation of a poly. In the subsequent step, this polymer is reacted with sodium hydroxide in water, which hydrolyzes one of the two amide bonds of the succinimide ring to form a sodium carboxylate. The remaining amide bond is thus the linkage between successive aspartate units. Each aspartate unit is identified as α or β according to which carbonyl of it is part of the polymer chain. The α form has one carbon in the backbone in addition to the carbonyl itself whereas the β form has two carbons in the backbone in addition to the carbonyl itself. This reaction gives a sodium poly copolymer composed of approximately 30% α-linkages and 70% β-linkages.
Uses
This material can be synthesized in an environmentally friendly way and is biodegradeable, thus it is a green alternative to several materials such as sodium polyacrylate used in disposable diapers and agriculture.
In addition and due to its water-solubility and ability to chelate metal ions, polyaspartate is used as a biodegradeable anti-scaling agent and a corrosion inhibitor.
