| abstract |
Provided is a method for producing water absorbent resin particles which comprises a step of performing reversed phase suspension polymerization of a water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer in a suspension that contains a surfactant including a fatty acid esterified product of a sorbitan or a sorbitol, or of derivatives thereof, and a hydrocarbon dispersion medium. The fatty acid esterified product includes a lauric acid esterified product and at least one other esterified product selected from a palmitic acid esterified product, a stearic acid esterified product, and a behenic acid esterified product. In a GPC chromatogram obtained from the fatty acid esterified product, with respect to the total of the peak areas derived from the fatty acid esterified product, the percentage of the peak areas derived from the lauric acid esterified product is 30 to 60%, and the percentage of the total of the peak areas derived from the other esterified products is 10 to 50%. |