Note that there is not very much divinyl benzene. Note also that this applet does not complete the crosslinking and merely shows in red where there is potential for crosslinking. Having the benzene rings above and below the line of CH groups is better than having them lined up as in the first sketch, but the single bonds to a carbon atom are free to rotate and put the polymer into three dimensions. The particularly significant effects as crosslinking increases are a prolonged time for equilibration and an accompanying decrease in capacity. Another property that depends on manufacturing technique is particle size.
Small particles provide great surface but cause large head losses.
There are many permutations of charge, strength, particle size, crosslinking, temperature, pH, and the like that allow tailoring ion exchange to a particular task. Return to the Chemistry Page.