title: A simple procedure for preparing chitin oligomers through acetone precipitation after hydrolysis in concentrated hydrochloric acid.
abstract: Chitin oligomers are of interest because of their numerous biologically relevant properties. To prepare chitin oligomers containing 4-6 GlcNAc units [(GlcNAc)4-6], α- and β-chitin were hydrolyzed with concentrated hydrochloric acid at 40 °C. The reactant was mixed with acetone to recover the acetone-insoluble material, and (GlcNAc)4-6 was efficiently recovered after subsequent water extraction. Composition analysis using gel permeation chromatography and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry indicated that (GlcNAc)4-6 could be isolated from the acetone-insoluble material with recoveries of approximately 17% and 21% from the starting α-chitin and β-chitin, respectively. The acetone precipitation method is highly useful for recovering chitin oligomers from the acid hydrolysate of chitin. The changes in the molecular size and higher-order structure of chitin during the course of hydrolysis were also analyzed, and a model that explains the process of oligomer accumulation is proposed.
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Applied Chemistry, Kogakuin University, 2, 665-1 Nakano-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Nao
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kazami
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Applied Chemistry, Kogakuin University, 2, 665-1 Nakano-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Applied Chemistry, Kogakuin University, 2, 665-1 Nakano-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mizutani
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Applied Chemistry, Kogakuin University, 2, 665-1 Nakano-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuhiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Applied Chemistry, Kogakuin University, 2, 665-1 Nakano-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wakita
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Applied Chemistry, Kogakuin University, 2, 665-1 Nakano-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumitaka
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Applied Chemistry, Kogakuin University, 2, 665-1 Nakano-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0015, Japan; Center for Medical Research Cooperation, The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 1-6 Kamikitazawa, 2-chome, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawakita
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Applied Chemistry, Kogakuin University, 2, 665-1 Nakano-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0015, Japan. Electronic address: bt79310@ns.kogakuin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yasusato
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugahara
mesh_terms: D000096:Acetone / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D002686:Chitin / Q000737:chemistry*; D049832:Decapodiformes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D000096:Acetone; D002686:Chitin; C056529:N-acetylchitohexaose; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid
keywords: Acetone precipitation; Acid hydrolysis; Chitin; Chitin oligomer; Water extraction