Detectable water-treatment polymers and methods for monitoring the concentration thereof

A water-treatment composition for use in the treatment of aqueous systems, said composition comprising,

• a water-soluble polymer, said polymer comprising the polymerized residue of,
• at least one water-treatment monomer in amounts effective to provide the polymer with the capability of performing at least one of a water-treatment function selected from the group consisting of dispersing particulate matter, inhibiting the formation of mineral scale, inhibiting the deposition of mineral scale and inhibiting corrosion in an aqueous system;
• and
• a polymerizable, photo-inert, latently-detectable moiety represented by structure (III) ##STR6## wherein, R.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of H, a monosaccharide, and a polysaccharide;
• R.sup.2 is selected from the group consisting of H, a monosaccharide, and a polysaccharide
• wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are not both H, provided that if R.sup.1 is H then R.sup.2 is a polysaccharide, and if R.sup.2 is H then R.sup.1 is a polysaccharide;
• R.sup.3 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 alkyl, H or NH.sub.2, and X is the residue of a moiety selected from the group consisting of alpha-methyl stryl, acrylamide or methacrylamide,
• said polymerizable, photo-inert, latently-detectable moiety being present in amounts effective to allow the water soluble polymer to be detected at concentrations of less than 100 parts per million and within a wavelength range of from 300 to 800 nanometers when the residue of the photo-inert, latently-detectable moiety is contacted with an amount of a photoactivator which is effective to cause the residue of the photo-inert, latently detectable moiety to absorb within said wavelength range.