Conventional polymer supports (polymeric reagents, functional polymers) such as polyacrylamides and polystyrene are based on either strongly polar or nonpolar chemical structures. As a result, these polymers may show low reactivity and poor performance due to their relatively limited ranges of solvent and substrate compatibility. More-recently introduced products are designed on the basis of copolymer structures, which incorporate both polar and nonpolar (hydrophilic and hydrophobic) residues and possess general solvent and substrate compatibility. Due to their ease of production, general solvent and substrate compatibility and improved performance, these new "amphiphilic" copolymers provide new impetus in the study and applications of polymer supports and functional polymers.