Dilute solution studies on a polycarbonate in good and poor solvents

Abstract Light‐scattering, viscometric and osmometric studies have been carried out on dilute solutions of polycarbonate fractions both in a good solvent and in theta solvents. The data span the molecular weight interval 5 < 10 −3 M < 760. It has been concluded that: ( 1 ) the overall behavior in dilute solution is consistent with a flexible chain conformation; ( 2 ) the ratio of the unperturbed mean‐square radius to the molecular weight, or to the number of chain elements, is larger than commonly observed for vinyl polymers; ( 3 ) the ratio of the unperturbed radius to the radius calculated for a chain with free rotation about valence bonds has the unusually small value 1.3; and ( 4 ) the hydrodynamic behavior of the chain may reflect partical draining affects.