The degradation of poly(ethylene oxide) and polyacrylamide in aqueous solution was studied with ascorbic acid. Gel permeation chromatograph was used to monitor molecular weight dynamics with time. A model based on continuous distribution kinetics showed that the experimental data matched well with theory. The results showed that the degradation of polymers is significantly enhanced in the presence of ascorbic acid. The degradation rate initially increased with ascorbic acid concentration but was independent of it at higher concentrations. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.