Preparation and spectroscopic characterization of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-grafted water-soluble chitosan

The object of this study was to test the solubility of a methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG)-grafted chitosan copolymer in organic solvents and aqueous solution. Water-soluble chitosan with low molecular weight (LMWSC) was used in a PEG-graft copolymerization. The MPEG was conjugated to chitosan using 4-dicyclohexylcarbodimide (DCC), and N-hydroxysuccimide (NHS). Introduction of PEG was confirmed by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and FT-IR spectroscopy. The degree of substitution (DS) of MPEG into chitosan was calculated from 1H NMR data and also by estimating the molecular weight (MW) using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The DS values obtained from 1H NMR spectroscopy and GPC were similar, indicating that MPEG-grafted LMWSC was synthesized and properly characterized. Furthermore, the introduction of PEG into chitosan increases the solubility in aqueous solutions over a range of pH values (4.0–11.0) and organic solvents such as DMF, DMSO, ethanol, and acetone.

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