Concentration dependence of the reduced viscosity of dilute aqueous polyelectrolyte solutions

The concentration dependence of the reduced viscosity has been studied for several polyelectrolytes in conductivity water. It is shown that the viscosity maximum previously reported for polyelectrolyte solutions without added electrolyte can be explained either by the presence of ionic impurities in the solvent or by the contamination of the solutions. It is concluded that the folding chain theory of polyelectrolyte solutions requires amendment to account for the experimental results on counterion association. A suggested amendment to the theory implies that the application of the Huggins equation to the concentration dependence of polyelectrolyte solutions in the presence of added electrolyte may not lead to information concerning the interactions between the polyions in solution.