Abstract:The synthesis and characterization of new amphiphilic copolymers derived from copolymerization of hydrophobically modified so-called vinyl saccharides with 1 -vinyl-2-pyrrolidone are described. The vinyl saccharides were prepared in a two-step synthesis. In the first step hydrophobically modified saccharide derivatives were synthesized without protecting procedures by direct reductive arnination of the reducing ketodisaccharide isomaltulose (palatinosem) with n-dodecylamine. In the second step the resulting Ndodecylaminopolyols were coupled with ally1 glycidyl ether to give polymerizable amphiphilic vinyl saccharides. The copolymerizations with 1 -vinyl-2-pyrrolidone were performed as free radical aqueous solution polymerizations. The characterization of the copolymers was carried out by measuring the viscosity and light scattering in water as well as in trichloromethane, in addition to surface tension measurements and solubilization studies. The solution properties of the copolymers in water and trichlorornethane differ remarkably. While the values for the intrinsic viscosities in both solvents are comparable, the weight-average molecular weights in water are much higher than those in trichloromethane, indicating the formation of aggregates in aqueous solution. The vinyl pyrrolidone copolymers are also very surface active, lowering the surface tension of water to as low as 30 mN1m. The combination of measurements of surface tensions and solubilization studies indicates that their hydrophobic association behaviour is formally comparable to those of low molecular weight surfactants.Key words: vinyl saccharides, isomaltulose, hydrophobic association, arnphiphilic polymers.R6urne : On dtcrit la synthkse et la caractCrisation de nouveaux copolymkres arnphiphiles dCrivCs d'une copolymCrisation de la 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone avec des soit disant saccharides vinyliques modifies d'une faqon hydrophobe. Les saccharides vinyliques ont CtC prCparCs par une synthkse en deux Ctapes. Dans la premikre Ctape, on a synthCtist les dCrivCs saccharidiques modifiCs d'une faqon hydrophobe, sans procCdures de protection, en procCdant ?i une arnination reductrice du cCto-disaccharide rCducteur isornaltulose (palatinosea) avec de la n-dodCcylamine. Dans la deuxikme Ctape, on a procCdC au couplage des N-dodCcylpolyols ainsi obtenus avec de l'oxyde d'allyle et de glycidyle qui a conduit aux saccharides vinyliques arnphiphiles. On a effectuC les copolyrnCrisations avec la I-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone sous la forme de polymtrisations radicalaires en solutions aqueuses. La caractCrisation des copolymkres a Ctt effectuCe par la mesure de leur viscositC et de leur diffusion de la lumikre en solution dans l'eau ainsi que dans le trichloromCthane; on a aussi fait appel i leurs tensions superficielles et 5 des Ctudes de solubilisation. Les propriCtts des copolyrnkres en solution dans l'eau sont tres diffCrentes de celles dans le trichloromCthane. Alors que les valeurs des viscositCs intrinskques sont cornparables dans les deux solvants, les poids ...