Potassium Hydroxide → Homocystamine

There was added 2.4 grams of the aminopropyldisulfide dihydrochloride of Example 3 to 200 ml of a 90:10 water-methanol solution containing 2.6 grams of potassium hydroxide and 20 grams of sodium bicarbonate. The resulting solution was allowed to stir at ambient temperatures at 20 minutes. There was added to this solution 20 grams of the chlorosulfonated polystyrene prepared in Example 1 and the resulting mixture was heated at reflux for a period of 4 hours. Based on method of preparation, there was obtained a sulfonated polystyrene having chemically combined styrenesulfone units with aminopropyldisulfide units covalently attached to sulfur by nitrogen-sulfur linkages.