title: Single crystals of chitosan.
abstract: Lamellar single crystals of chitosan were prepared at 125 degrees C by adding ammonia to a low DP fraction of chitosan dissolved in water. The crystals gave sharp electron diffraction diagrams which could be indexed in an orthorhombic P2(1)2(1)2(1) unit cell with a = 8.07 A, b = 8.44 A, c = 10.34 A. The unit cell contained two anti-parallel chitosan chains and no water molecules. It was found that cellulose microfibrils from Valonia ventricosa could act as nuclei for inducing the crystallization of chitosan on cellulose. This produced a shish-kebab morphology.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches sur les Macromolécules Végétales (CNRS), Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cartier
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Domard
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chanzy
mesh_terms: D002686:Chitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D048271:Chitosan; D003460:Crystallization; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D013696:Temperature; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D002686:Chitin; D048271:Chitosan