Organic Ion Exchangers

The deRnition and some characteristic concepts regarding organic ion exchangers are pointed out. The development of these ion exchangers, beginningwith chemically modiRed natural products and continuing with the synthetic ones, is further presented. A classiRcation of organic ion exchangers is proposed according to several criteria, such as the synthesis method, morphology of the three-dimensional network, their physical shape and the nature of their functional groups. Of the general characteristics of organic ion exchangers only the exchange capacity and selectivity are brieSy discussed. Preparation and structure } chemical property relationships, and some applications with reference to strong and weak cation and anion exchangers, as well as to chelating ion exchangers } are described in more depth.