Cadmium ion-chelating synthetic polymers and process thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to an adsorbent polymer having improved selectivity for cadmium ion, comprising a water-insoluble polymeric material having available surface pendant chelating groups having a multiplicity of thiol (--SH) groups, wherein pairs of thiol groups are connected by a chain R having between about 10 and 16 atoms of the structure: ##STR1## which thiol terminated chains are capable of chelating cadmium ion in rings of between about 11 and 17 atoms, and A is selected from alkylene having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, cycloalkylene, aryl or arylalkylene. Preferably the adsorbent polymer having improved selectivity for cadmium of claim 1, wherein the pendant chelating groups having a thiol structure: ##STR2## BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Origin of the Invention Portions of the research leading to this invention were funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Cooperative Agreement No. CR 811984-01-0) and the University of California (Berkeley) Chancellor's Patent Fund (No. 401220-09520).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.