Synthesis and characterization of a novel potato starch derivative with cationic acetylcholine groups

A novel substance, cationic acetylcholine potato starch (CAPS), was developed for the first time. The synthesis process had three steps: first, carboxymethyl potato starch (CMPS) was synthesized under sodium hydroxide alkaline condition and in isopropyl alcohol organic media; second, bromocholine chloride (BCC) was synthesized with sulphuric acid as a catalytic agent; finally, CAPS was synthesized by the reaction of CMPS with BCC in N,N′-dimethylformamide (DMF). The degree of substitution (DS) of CAPS was determined by ammonia gas-sensing electrode and elemental analysis. CAPS was characterized by Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) and near infrared (FTNIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).