Polymers of N-acryloylmorpholine activated at one end and conjugates with bioactive materials and surfaces

Polymers of the monomer N-acryloylmorpholine having a single reactive moiety at one end of the polymer chain have the following structure: ##STR1## wherein --Z--X--Y is a polymer capping moiety, such as mercaptan, X represents a saturated residue of a linear or branched aliphatic series of the general structure --C.sub.r H.sub.2r -- in which r is an integer from 1 to about 12, Y is a reactive moiety and typically will be one of the reactive moieties commonly known in PEG chemistry, such as an --OH, --COOH, or --NH.sub.2 group, Z is a moiety that readily reacts to cap a polymer free radical, and n is an integer from about 6 to 280, which yields a number average molecular weight ("M.sub.n ") of from about 1,000 to 40,000. The monofunctional polymer is a suitable alternative to monofunctional PEG for modification of substances having biological and biotechnical applications.