Determination of deacetylation degree of chitosan: a comparison between conductometric titration and CHN elemental analysis.

Z M Dos Santos, A L P F Caroni, M R Pereira, D R da Silva, J L C Fonseca

Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário, Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN 59078-970, Brazil.

Carbohydrate research 2009 Dec 14

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Chitosan is a polysaccharide used in a broad range of applications. Many of its unique properties come from the presence of amino groups in its structure. A proper quantification of these amino groups is very important, in order to specify if a given chitosan sample can be used in a particular application. In this work, a comparison between the determination of chitosan degree of deacetylation by conductometry and CHN elemental analysis was carried out, using a rigorous error analysis. Accurate expressions relating CHN composition, conductometric titration, and degree of deacetylation, in conjunction with their associated errors, were developed and reported in this note. Error analysis showed conductometric analysis as an inexpensive and secure method for the determination of the degree of deacetylation of chitosan.

Citation

Z M Dos Santos, A L P F Caroni, M R Pereira, D R da Silva, J L C Fonseca. Determination of deacetylation degree of chitosan: a comparison between conductometric titration and CHN elemental analysis. Carbohydrate research. 2009 Dec 14;344(18):2591-5