Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7787547 | Carbohydrate Polymers | 2015 | 7 Pages |
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.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Authors
Nao Kazami, Masayoshi Sakaguchi, Daisuke Mizutani, Tatsuhiko Masuda, Satoshi Wakita, Fumitaka Oyama, Masao Kawakita, Yasusato Sugahara,