1. 1 Macroionic Systems and the Scope of the Book Inthepresentmonograph, wewilldiscussionicpolymersolutionsandcolloidal dispersions. When these substances are dissolved into a solvent, they produce ionicspecies havinglargemolecularweightsandtheir counterions. We knowa variety of naturally occurring ionic polymers and chemically synthesizedc- pounds. Examples of the former are nucleic acids and some proteins, which playanimportantroleinbiologicalsystems. Examplesofsyntheticionicpo- mers are polyacrylic acid (PAA), polystyrenesulfonic acid (PSS) and poly- lylamine (PAAm). PAAisahighpolymer,...