Improved accuracy and precision in the light‐scattering characterization of homo‐ and copolymers in THF

A one‐point method was developed for the estimation of weight‐averaged molecular weights from light‐scattering data. The method is based on the calculation of the second virial coefficient from theoretical predictions of the dependence of A2 on the molecular weight. The second virial coefficient is then regressed for a particular polymer—solvent combination from a series of preexisting measurements over a range of molecular weights. The one‐point method is found to yield as accurate molecular weight estimates as obtained from a Debye plot using the conventional dilution technique. The variance in the estimation of the Rayleigh factor has also been found to be highly dependent on the measurement concentration. Therefore, the precision in the estimation of molecular weight can be improved by calculating molecular weights at or near the optimal concentration, which is itself molecular weight‐dependent. The one‐point method is demonstrated for poly(methyl methacrylate)s of various polydispersities in tetrahydrofuran. The molecular weight of polystyrene and polystyrene‐co‐acrylic acid were also estimated by the one‐point method in THF. In the case of the polystyrene‐co‐acrylic acid, THF becomes a poorer solvent with increasing levels of acrylic acid in the copolymer, and the parameter (A2M0.5) is found to vary with the copolymer composition, as is theoretically predicted. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 1303–1316, 1997