polyacrylamide
[ pol-ee-uh-kril-uh-mahyd, -mid, -ak-ruh-lam-ahyd, -id ]
/ ˌpɒl i əˈkrɪl əˌmaɪd, -mɪd, -ˌæk rəˈlæm aɪd, -ɪd /
noun Chemistry.
a white, solid, water-soluble polymer of acrylamide, used in secondary oil recovery, as a thickening agent, a flocculant, and an absorbent, and to separate macromolecules of different molecular weights.
Origin of polyacrylamide
First recorded in 1940–45;
poly- +
acrylamide
Words nearby polyacrylamide
poly i:c,
poly-,
poly-drug,
poly.,
polyacid,
polyacrylamide,
polyacrylic acid,
polyacrylonitrile,
polyadelphous,
polyadenitis,
polyadenopathy
Scientific definitions for polyacrylamide
polyacrylamide
[ pŏl′ē-ə-krĭl′ə-mīd′ ]
A white, water-soluble polymer containing repeating units of acrylamide (C3H5NO)and related to acrylic acid. Polyacrylamide is used in food packaging, adhesives, coatings, and paper manufacturing. It is also used to reduce soil erosion and as a gel for electrophoresis in the laboratory analysis of protein and DNA structures.