title: Periodate oxidation of chitosans with different chemical compositions.
abstract: Periodate oxidation of chitosans with different chemical compositions were investigated by determining the consumption of periodate consumed, and the amount of ammonia and formaldehyde liberated during the reaction. Oxidised chitosans were further characterised by size-exclusion chromatography with online multi-angle light scattering (SEC-MALLS) to obtain the molecular weight distributions, and by elemental analysis to obtain the N/C ratio. Chitosans became only partially oxidised by periodate, reaching degrees of oxidation around 0.5, when oxidising with excess periodate. Overconsumption of periodate is attributed to the extensive depolymerisation, which occurs concomitantly with the oxidation, thereby exposing novel reducing and non-reducing ends which consume additional periodate. Both the rate and extent of overoxidation, and the rate of depolymerisation decreased with increasing F(A). A chitosan-specific degradation mechanism is probably involved in the depolymerisation in addition to the general free-radical-mediated degradation.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Biopolymer Laboratory (NOBIPOL), Department of Biotechnology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Sem Saelands vei 6/8, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Inger M N
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Vold
authors.forename: Bjørn E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Christensen
mesh_terms: D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D007700:Kinetics; D008027:Light; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010504:Periodic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation
chemical_list: D010504:Periodic Acid; D048271:Chitosan; C009288:metaperiodate