[loneabd1]

So i have read about the process of making it but honestly it makes not a lot of sense (polymerizing acrylic acid (usually as an emulsion polymer in water with emulsifiers and free radical catalyst such as sodium persulfate of hydrogen peroxide) and neutralizing with sodium hydroxide) and I have no idea what that mumbo-jumbo means. If someone could guide me in the right direction with a chemical formula for its production I would be very thankful.
Thanks in advance!

[Arkcon]

Re: Need to MAKE Sodium Polyacrylate

OK, so ...

and I have no idea what that mumbo-jumbo means.

So how are you going to make it, if a list of ingredients, the process, and the clean up step:

(polymerizing acrylic acid (usually as an emulsion polymer in water with emulsifiers and free radical catalyst such as sodium persulfate of hydrogen peroxide) and neutralizing with sodium hydroxide)

All mean nothing to you?  That's as much as saying, "I want a cake, but this flour-sugar-milk-eggs mixture, and this oven-thingy frighten and confuse me."  What part of this process are you ready for?

If someone could guide me in the right direction with a chemical formula for its production I would be very thankful.
Thanks in advance!

Maybe you should describe you application for us, and let us know what you do understand, and what technical skills you do have.  Maybe you can buy most of what you need.

[loneabd1]

So, I am prepared to gather all the required 'ingredients', and am pretty sure that I have all the required tools to make this, but I am wondering how much of each to put in, at what temperature, and for how long. If that chemical equation is correct, then can I just use the molar masses and figure it out that way? I am in grade 12 chemistry so I am not very experienced in chemistry and this seems quite out of my depth but I am prepared to learn how to go about this. I just require some guidance.

Also, I should have mentioned, I can just go to the store and buy sodium polyacrylate but the purpose of the project I am working on requires me to actually make it, which is why I need to know all these things.

[Arkcon]

OK, that is a fairly good assessment.  What you're thinking you need is stoichiometric quantities, and you don't know the amounts.  Now, spend some time taking the text apart, and figuring out what you need.  You want to make polyacrylate, and you're going to start with acrylic acid.  What is its formula?  What do the atoms of the molecule sum up to?  What is the molecular weight of the product?  That is going to be tricky, I'm warning you.  And do you know the definition of a catalyst.

[thetada]

Forgive the plug but I wrote this article about the polymerisation of METHacrylates, which will get you started. It describes and explains how shellac nails are applied, which is likely similar to what you would need to do.

http://www.rsc.org/eic/sites/default/files/The%20Mole%20January%202015.pdf

Also, Volume II of Chemistry and Technology of UV and EB Formulation for Coatings, Inks and Paints by G Webster remains an authoritative text on the subject, but it's tough to get hold of.

In theory it's quite simple. You need to polyermise prop-2-enoic acid and then neutralise with sodium hydroxide. The latter can be harmful, and the former may be also. If you use a UV lamp to drive the radical reaction, you should be careful with that too. I'd advise you research thoroughly and work under supervision.