Polyacrylamide
From Free net encyclopedia
Polyacrylamide is an acrylate polymer formed from acrylamide subunits that is readily cross-linked. Acrylamide needs to be handled using Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) to avoid poisoning since it is a neurotoxin. Polyacrylamide is not toxic, but un-polymerized acrylamide can be present in the polymerized acrylamide. Therefore it is recommended to handle it with caution. It is highly water-absorbent, forming a soft gel used in such applications as polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and in manufacturing soft contact lenses. It is also used as a thickener and suspending agent.
It has also been advertised as a soil conditioner called Krilium by Monsanto in the 1950s and today "MP", which is stated to be a "unique formulation of PAM (water-soluble polyacrylamide)".
Ionic substances like salt cause polyacrylamide to release its absorbed substance.