Functional polyketones for the removal of calcium and magnesium from water (part I): synthesis and chemical characterization

The aim of the present study was to design and synthesize a new class of compounds for the softening of hard water, i.e. for the removal of the divalent cations Ca2+ and Mg2+. To that end, a class of alternating aliphatic polyketones (copolymers of ethylene and propylene with carbon monoxide, PK30) was functionalized with a variety of amines employing the Paal-Knorr reaction, a relatively straightforward reaction-route to synthesize functional polyketones. The amino groups included aliphatic and aromatic structures with a molecular weight ranging from 74.1 to 129.2 g/mol. Elemental analysis was used to establish the degree of functionalization, whereas 1H-NMR spectroscopy was used to identify the molecular structure of the prepared polymers. Model compounds were used as reference for guiding structure determination and for studying the (relative) reaction kinetics.