What does polyacrylamide mean?
Polyacrylamide is a synthetic polymer made from many small acrylamide molecules joined into long chains. Its most familiar use is in polyacrylamide gels, which form a porous matrix in gel electrophoresis and allow researchers to separate DNA fragments or proteins according to size. The material can also absorb large quantities of water and is used in some agricultural soil treatments, adhesives, and other industrial applications. Although the word is highly technical, it is usually used precisely in scientific or manufacturing contexts rather than in everyday speech. Its importance comes from its unusual combination of water absorption, adjustable physical properties, and usefulness as a laboratory separation medium. The name accurately describes its composition: “poly-” indicates that many monomer units are linked together, while “acrylamide” identifies the chemical building block from which they are formed.
nounA synthetic polymer made by linking acrylamide molecules into a long chain. It is used in water-absorbing materials, adhesives, agricultural applications, and laboratory gels, including polyacrylamide gels used in gel electrophoresis.
- A synthetic polymer composed of repeating acrylamide units, used in water-absorbing materials, agriculture, adhesives, and laboratory gels.
"The researchers separated the DNA fragments using a polyacrylamide gel."
"The sample was poured into a polyacrylamide gel before electrophoresis."
"Polyacrylamide is added to soil to improve its ability to retain water."
Polyacrylamide can absorb vast amounts of water, making it useful in products where moisture control and absorbency matter.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does polyacrylamide come from?
The word is formed by combining the prefix poly-, meaning “many,” with acrylamide, the compound used to produce the polymer. The acrylamide element belongs to a family of chemical names derived from acrylic, relating to propenoic acid and its derivatives. Polyacrylamide itself is a modern synthetic material, developed through the study of polymer chemistry during the twentieth century.
How polyacrylamide is actually used
In technical and scientific contexts, the term most often refers to the polymer as a material. In molecular biology, it commonly refers specifically to a polyacrylamide gel.
Easily confused with polyacrylamide
Acrylamide is the small organic compound used to make polyacrylamide, whereas polyacrylamide is the polymer formed from many acrylamide molecules.