Fluorescent water-soluble polymers

A fluorescent water-soluble polymer comprising from about 0.0001 to about 10.0 mole percent of one or more fluorescent monomer units of formula 12

• wherein 13
• is a fluorescent moiety selected from 14
• L is selected from —SO2—, —Y1C(O)—, —R2—Y1—C(O)— and —Y1—C(Z1)—Y2—(CH2)n—Y3—C(Z2)—;
• Y1 is absent, O, or NR3;
• Y2 and Y3 are independently O or NR3;
• Z1 and Z2 are independently O or S;
• Z3 and Z4 are independently OH or O−M+;
• n is an integer of from 2 to 6;
• R1 and R3 are independently hydrogen or C1-C4 alkyl;
• R2 is C1-C4 alkylene;
• X is Br, Cl or I;
• M is Na, Li or K,
• and from 90 to 99.9999 mole percent of one or more second monomer units selected from the group consisting of cationic, anionic, nonionic and zwitterionic monomers, provided that when the fluorescent water-soluble polymer consists of randomly distributed fluorescent monomer units of formula 15
• and randomly distributed second monomer units which are diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride, then R1 is C1-C4 alkyl.