A serie of six N-1-alkylitaconamic acids-co-styrene copolymers with alkyl groups varying in side chain length from 3 to 12 was used in this study. The surface behaviour of the copolymers has been studied as function of the side chain length. Contact angle data for two of these copolymer surfaces were obtained in water and several liquids. From this information the surface energy was determined. Differences in the wettability of N-1-alkylitaconamic acid-co-styrene are found. The results are discussed in terms of hydrophobic and polar effect of the copolymers. Results on spread monolayers characteristics of these copolymers on water surfaces are also reported. Surface pressure-area (pi-A) isotherms on a pure water subphase exhibit a transition region depending on the length of the alkyl side chain of the itaconamic acid moiety. It was also analyzed the phase transition in the monolayer at the air/water interface by brewster angle microscopy (BAM). Molecular mechanics approach was used to obtain predictions about the local interaction energies between segments. It was possible to conclude that the local interaction energies of propyl and decyl derivatives are quite similar while the hexyl derivative has higher interaction energy. The analysis of the coulombic energies together with the dispersion van der Waals energies (VDW) would be indicative, in first approximation, that carbonyl groups are more exposed in the case of propyl than in the other copolymers studied. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.