Water soluble pyranine polymers and method of making

A polymer composition comprising a water soluble polymer polymerized from a mixture of monomers comprising a monomer of formula (IIa):

• wherein M is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, sodium, potassium, cesium, rubidium, lithium, ammonium, and tetralkylammonium, and
• R1 is selected from optionally substituted —C1-C10alkyl-, -aryl-C2-C10alkyl-, —C(O)—, —CH2NH—C(O)—, and —C(CH3)2—NH—C(O)—, and
• R is H or optionally substituted C1-C10alkyl-;
• wherein the sum of the mole percent of unfunctionalized pyranine compound and the mole percent of unpolymerized pyranine monomer is less than 5 mole percent of the total pyranine in the polymer composition.

A composition comprising a functionalized pyranine of formula (IIa)

• wherein
• R1 is selected from optionally substituted C1-C10alkyl, aryl-C2-C10alkyl, —C(O)—, —CH2NH—C(O)—, —C(CH3)2—NH—C(O)—,
• R is optionally substituted C1-C10alkyl, and
• M is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, sodium, potassium, cesium, rubidium, lithium, ammonium, and tetralkylammonium,
• wherein said composition comprises less than 5 mol % unfunctionalized pyranine, based on the total amount of unfunctionalized pyranine and functionalized pyranine.

A method of inhibiting scale in an industrial water system comprising the steps of

• a) providing an industrial water system susceptible to unwanted scaling;
• and
• b) adding to the water of said industrial water system from about 1 ppm to about 30 ppm of a scale inhibitor,
• wherein said scale inhibitor comprises a fluorescent polymer composition comprising fluorescent pyranine monomers and non-fluorescent monomers, said fluorescent polymer composition being substantially free of pyranine,
• said fluorescent pyranine monomers being selected from monomers of formula (IIa)
• wherein
• R1 is selected from optionally substituted C1-C10alkyl, aryl-C2-C10alkyl, —C(O)—, —CH2NH—C(O)—, —C(CH3)2—NH—C(O)—,
• R is optionally substituted C1-C10alkyl, and
• M is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, sodium, potassium, cesium, rubidium, lithium, ammonium, and tetralkylammonium,
• and wherein said non-fluorescent monomers are selected from one or more of the group consisting of acrylic acid and salts, methacrylic acid and salts, maleic acid and salts, maleic anhydride, acrylamide, crotonic acid and salts;
• itaconic acid and salts, methacrylamide, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and salts, sodium (meth)allyl sulfonate, allyloxybenzene sulfonic acid and its salts, polyethylene glycol monomethacrylate, vinyl phosphoric acid and salts, styrene sulfonic acid and salts, vinyl sulfonic acid and salts, 3-allyloxy-2-hydroxypropane sulfonic acid and salts, N-alkyl (meth)acrylamide, t-butyl (meth)acrylate, N-alkyl (meth)acrylate, N-alkanol-N-alkyl(meth)acrylate, vinyl acetate, 2-Hydroxy N-alkyl(meth)acrylate, alkyl vinyl ether, alkoxyethyl acrylate, N-alkanol (meth)acrylamide, N,N-dialkyl(meth)acrylamide and 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone;
• sulfomethylacrylamide and sulfoethylacrylamide.