polymer candidates

None of these terms are widely used, especially the first. Acidic/basic polymers would be polymers with an acidic/basic side chain. Poly(acrylic acid) and polyacrylamide would be repective examples.

"Polymer candidates"? If you are screening a series of polymers to meet a specific need, the polymers would be candidates.

John Aspen Research, -

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"Polymer candidates"? Perhaps plastic puppets being put up for election?

Colin

Perhaps these terms are used more often in biochemistry. Amino acids are sometimes classified into basic and acidic, the same could be said about proteins depending on the location of their isoelectric point.

Most of the technical polymers like poly(acrylic acid) don't have an IEP, so the concept can not be applied here.

BTW: If I recall it correctly due to co-operativity poly-acids (or poly-bases) don't have a pKa (or pKb). Is there a means of comparing their relative "strength"?

Oliver

I think what is meant by "polymer candidates" is "molecules that can polymerize".

Every monomer (i.e. molecule) which can react by polyaddition or polycondensation with a r>99% is polymer candidate