Binding properties of alginic acid and chitin

The binding properties of granular alginic acid(H-alg.) and chitin to iodine, bromine, cadmium ion, calcium ion and cholesterol were investigated. Chitin-iodine and chitin-bromine compounds closely resemble those of H-alg. The amount of iodine included by these polysaccharides increased with a decrease in the concentration of potassium iodide (KI). The number of sugar residues bound to one iodine molecule extrapolated to 0 g of KI was around 6.0 for H-alg. and 6.4 for chitin. These saccharides, which do not form a gel in water, were found to also absorb KI and radioactive iodide or iodine in aqueous solution. H-alg. did not show as much affinity to cadmium ion and calcium ion and cholesterol in iso-propyl alcohol as metalalginates.Presented at the Fourth International Symposium on Inclusion Phenomena and the Third International Symposium on Cyclodextrins, Lancaster, U.K., 20–25 July 1986.