In this study three types of poly(vinylamine chloride) (PVAmHCl) with different amination degrees were prepared from the Hofmann degradation of polyacrylamide. The behavior of dilute aqueous solutions of PVAmHCl was compared by viscosimetric, conductometric, and potentiometric measurements, and by consideration of the degree of amination. The results show that with increasing amination degree of polyvinylamine (PVAm) from 55 to 78%, the in value (a measure of electrostatic interactions of neighboring groups on the chains) increased from 3.65 to 5.14, and the reduced viscosity of PVAmHCl decreased somewhat. With increasing ionic strength, the maximum of the reduced viscosity decreased. Moreover, the pK(a) value of PVAmHCl decreased from 8.33 to 7.47 with increasing amination degree of PVAm from 55 to 78%. At the same time, the equivalent conductivity gradually decreased with increasing concentration of the polymer and was enhanced with increasing amination degree of PVAm. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.