Ultrasound-assisted conversion of alpha-chitin into chitosan

This paper discusses the production of chitosan by applying high intensity ultrasound irradiation to alpha-chitin suspended in 40% aqueous sodium hydroxide. The average degree of acetylation (DA) of chitosan was determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy and titrimetry while its viscosity average molecular weight (Mv) was calculated from the intrinsic viscosity as determined by capillary viscometry. The results show that fully acid-soluble chitosans (DA < 32%; 100,000 g/mol ⩽ Mv ⩽ 200,000 g/mol) are produced at very high yield (>95%) by applying non-isothermal ultrasound-assisted N-deacetylation process to alpha-chitin suspension (44 mg/mL). It is also shown that such a process is more efficient than thermochemical N-deacetylation, even being carried out at a lower temperature due to the effects of high intensity ultrasound irradiation.