Hydrazine hydrate (1:1) → Styrene

In a 500-ml three-necked round-bottomed flask equipped with a magnetic stirrer, condenser, and nitrogen sweep were placed the methyl acrylate-styrene copolymer (50.0 g), ethanol (200 ml), and 85% hydrazine hydrate (100 ml). The reaction mixture was stirred and heated at reflux for 48 hours. The cooled reaction mixture was poured slowly into distilled water (200 ml) being agitated in an air-driven blender. The white precipitate was collected on a Buchner funnel, sucked dry, and vacuum-dried at 50°C. This procedure yields a poly(hydrazide) containing 28% hydrazide, 22% methyl acrylate, and 50% styrene when starting with the 50/50 copolymer. The proportion of hydrazide can be increased by using longer reaction times. The reaction time can be halved by substituting dimethyl sulfoxide for ethanol but the recovery step takes more time.