Knowing the Chemistry of Chitosan

The hard casing of crustaceans contains Chitosan, which is an essential polymer helpful in controlling cholesterol and reducing weight. Chitosan chemistry provide basis for its use in weight and cholesterol controlling products. Crustaceans are aquatic arthropods including shrimps, clams and lobsters etc. Chitosan polymer contained in outer shells of these arthropods make you ponder once before throwing away these shells. This important polymer is most commonly used in weight reduction supplements.

Moreover, products used for cholesterol profile improvement normally include chemically made fiber of Chitosan. Examination of Chitosan chemistry shows that it is a biopolymer kind of substance. This property makes it possible for manufacturers of cholesterol and weight controlling products to use Chitosan as basic ingredient. Chitosan chemistry involves frequent biomedical uses whenever it is going to be discussed. Following are several of the generally frequent biomedical applications involving the use of Chitosan.

?Wound healing
?Tissue engineering
?Tissue repair
?Local delivery of cells etc

Analysis of Chitosan chemistry exposed that it is made up of N-deacylation, which is a chitin molecule. Chitosan is basically a linear polysaccharide, which is mainly composed of ?(1-4)-linked D-glucosamine together with N-Acetyl glucosamine monomers.

N-acetyl-D-glucosamine is acetylated unit (A) whereas D-glucosamine is a deacetylated unit (D). This chemical composition exhibits that Chitosan can be created through the deacetylation of chitin on commercial basis. Chitin is the basic structural element present in the outer skeletons of crustaceans and this has been discovered by resources of Chitosan chemistry. Usually, NMR spectroscopy is used to check out the percent of deacetylation in artificially prepared Chitosan. The deacetylation degree in commercially manufactured Chitosan falls in range of 60 to 100%.

A number of bio-medical research showed that this considerably valuable substance is a fine carrier of catalysts. In addition, frequent resources of Chitosan chemistry depicts that Chitosan is a substance having distinctive chemical properties. Following are the most noteworthy chemical properties contained by Chitosan.

?Linear poly-D-glucosamine
?Chelating effect on numerous transition- metal ions
?Aids in protein separations
?Offer fungistatic and Basteriostatic effects
?Full capacity of reaction with amino groups

In addition, tests of Chitosan chemistry have revealed a notable facet in relation to the viscosity of Chitosan. As outlined by these studies the Chitosan viscosity is mostly dependent on average molecular weight of Chitosan itself. Chromatography together with technique of light scattering detection is the finest possible way of determining this molecular weight.

Amino group is another prime ingredient of Chitosan polymers according to the some studies carried out to find the exact Chitosan chemistry. Chitosan is a sort of positively charged polymer having about 6.5 pKa value of amino group and therefore these are definitely soluble in acidic in addition to neutral solutions. These scientific studies about Chitosan chemistry have too concluded that Chitosan polymer either artificially made or naturally available is a bio-adhesive.

This is because it can easily and quickly binds up with surfaces having negative charges on them; for instance, mucosal membranes. It has been concluded by analysts after going through a range of studies about Chitosan chemistry that Chitosan can be utilized in numerous commercial uses.

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