polyacrylamide

[ pol-ee-uh-kril-uh-mahyd, -mid, -ak-ruh-lam-ahyd, -id ]

nounChemistry.
  1. 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

1
First recorded in 1940–45; poly- + acrylamide

Words Nearby polyacrylamide

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Scientific definitions for polyacrylamide

polyacrylamide

[ pŏl′ē-ə-krĭlə-mīd′ ]


  1. 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.

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