Lumped kinetic model for degradation of chitosan by hydrodynamic cavitation

The lumped kinetic model for the degradation reactions of chitosan by hydrodynamic cavitation was investigated in this study. The molecular weight distributions and mass concentrations were determined by gel permeation chromatograph (GPC). The degradation products were divided into several lumps according to their molecular weights. The appropriate number of lumps for the kinetic study was determined by comparing the residual sum of squares (RSS) values among different models. The RSS of six-lumped model (5.36 × 10^?3) was relatively small and the estimation of parameters was simpler than other models. In this paper, six-lumped kinetic model was adopted and the corresponding reaction network was established. The kinetic parameters were estimated with the Levenberg-Marquardt, and the results showed that the degradation reaction of chitosan was mainly dominated by the formation of degradation products with similar molecular weights. The maximum value of kinetic parameters on the diagonal of the reaction network (1.63 × 10^?1) was much larger than that of non-diagonal kinetic parameters (3.78 × 10^?2). According to the results calculated and measured under different conditions, this model could accurately predict the concentration distributions of lumps in the reaction network, and most of the average absolute deviation were smaller than 9.3%.     

Synergetic effect of ozone and ultrasonic radiation on degradation of chitosan

Under conditions of continuous ozone gas application and constant ultrasonic radiation (UR), chitosan was effectively degraded. The existence of a synergetic effect of ozone and ultrasonic radiation on the degradation of chitosan was demonstrated by means of determination of viscosity-average molecular weight. The efficiency of the ozone and ultrasonic radiation treatment compared with acid hydrolysis on degradation of chitosan was investigated. In addition, the structure of the degraded chitosan was characterized by FT-IR and ¹³C NMR spectral analyses. The whole initial chitosan's monomer structure still existed in the resulting degraded chitosan with different low molecular weight. The pilot study of the chemical stability of the degraded chitosan was carried out. There was no significant change of the total degree of deacetylation (DD) of degraded chitosan compared with the initial chitosan. The combined O₃/UR technique is promisingly suitable for scale-up manufacture of low-molecular-weight chitosan.     

Synergetic degradation of chitosan with gamma radiation and hydrogen peroxide

Chitosan samples were irradiated by ⁶⁰Co γ-rays in the presence of hydrogen peroxide with radiation dose from 10 kGy to 100 kGy. The degradation was monitored by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), revealing the existence of a synergetic effect on the degradation. Structures of the degraded products were characterized with Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible spectral (UV-vis) analysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results showed that the crystallinity of chitosan decreases with degradation, and the crystalline state of water-soluble chitosan is entirely different from that of water-insoluble chitosan. An elemental analysis method was employed to investigate changes in the element content of chitosan after degradation. Mechanism of chitosan radiation degradation with and without hydrogen peroxide was also discussed.     

Degradation of chitosan with self-resonating cavitation

For the degradation of chitosan, a novel physical method of self-resonating cavitation with strong cavitation effects was investigated in this paper. The effects of initial concentration, pH, temperature, inlet pressure and cavitation time on the degradation efficiency of chitosan were evaluated. It was found that the degradation efficiency was positively correlated with temperature and cavitation time, but was negatively correlated with the solution concentration. The degradation efficiency was maximized at pH of 4.4 and inlet pressure of 0.4 MPa. Under the experimental conditions, the intrinsic viscosity of chitosan solution was reduced by 92.2%, which was twice as high as the degradation efficiency where a Venturi tube cavitator was used. The viscosity-average molecular weights of initial and degraded chitosan were 651 and 104 kD, respectively. The deacetylation degree of chitosan slightly decreased from 89.34% to 88.05%. Structures and polydispersity of initial and degraded chitosan were measured by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy (¹H NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results showed that the degradation process did not change the natural structure of chitosan. XRD peaks of the original chitosan were observed at 2θ of 9.59° and 20.00°, and the one at 2θ of 20.00° was obviously weakened after the degradation process, which indicated that the crystallinity of chitosan decreased significantly after the degradation. The polydispersity index of chitosan samples decreased from 3.17 to 2.75, indicating that the molecular-weight distribution of products after the degradation was more concentrated. The results proved that self-resonating cavitation prompted the degradation of chitosan and could reduce the polydispersity of the products for the production of oligochitosan with homogeneous molecular weights.     

The kinetics of adsorption of tetracycline on chitosan particles

Experiments to monitor and characterize the kinetics of adsorption of tetracycline on chitosan particles are reported in this work. The same pseudo-order kinetics that has been widely used for describing the adsorption in systems related to wastewater purification and drug loading was used to treat the present data. As some unexpected results came out from the experiments, it was necessary a detailed deduction for this sort of kinetics to be carried out, so that approximations related to short and long times were obtained. Firstly it was shown that an apparently linear t/q(t) versus t relationship did not imply a pseudo-second-order sorption kinetics, differently of what has been repeatedly reported in the literature. It was found that this misinterpretation could be avoided by using non-linear regression. Finally, the adsorption of tetracycline on chitosan particles was analyzed, using the insights obtained from theoretical analysis, and the parameters generated were used to analyze to adsorption kinetics and to propose an adsorption mechanism.     

The influence of oxidative degradation on the preparation of chitosan nanoparticles

Chitosan nanoparticles were obtained via ionic crosslinking by using the sulfate ion. Chitosan molecular weight was varied by oxidative degradation of the chitosan β-glycoside bond, the molecular weight being indirectly monitored as the chitosan solution reduced viscosity at a fixed polymer concentration. The dependence between some physical properties of the resultant dispersions (turbidity, viscosity, zeta potential, and sedimentation column profile) and reduced viscosity was established. Atomic force microscopy images have shown the resultant particles formed to be clusters of chitosan nanoparticles with a diameter of ca. 70 nm, the interaction between these particles being characterized by FTIR spectroscopy as the result of sulfate bridging. At the end of the paper, the potential of these dispersions for the incorporation of anionic drugs via adsorption was evaluated using a model compound. The resultant dispersions were capable of adsorbing more than 25% of mass of chitosan, being the partition coefficient higher than 3,500.     

Effect of hemicellulase on the molecular weight and structure of chitosan

A cheap, commercially available and efficient hemicellulase was used to degrade partially N-acetylated chitosan. The degradation was monitored by gel permeation chromatography. Factors affecting the enzymatic hydrolysis of chitosan are studied. The degraded chitosans were characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results show that the enzymatic hydrolysis was endo-action and mainly occurred in a random fashion. The total degree of acetylation of chitosan did not change after degradation. The decrease of molecular weight led to transformation of crystal structure, decrease of thermal stability and the increase of water-solubility, but the chemical structures of residues were not modified.     

Chemical-radiation degradation of natural oligoamino-polysaccharides for agricultural application

The main objective of the research was to elaborate the method of degradation of natural aminopolysaccharides to obtain a product applicable as biospecimen in protection and stimulation of the plants growth. Depolymerization of chitosan can be carried out by radiation or chemical degradation combined with irradiation method. The efficiency of these methods was verified by viscometric analysis. The chemical-radiation method was much more appropriate from economical point of view. By application of this method it was possible to obtain product with lower crystalline phase content than initial one, what was proved by X-ray diffraction studies. Finally preliminary agricultural tests on spring rape seeds were performed. The results show that the biggest growth was observed for chitosan (molecular weight 47,000 Da) in concentration of 0.1 g/kg of seeds. The higher concentration did not affect plant's growth. The average growth over-ground plant parts was about 16–22%, diameter of roots was about 11–13%, and mass of roots was about 51–65% higher in comparison to the control.     

Determination of Michaelis-Menten parameters obtained from isothermal flow calorimetric data

Recent papers have reported [Thermochim. Acta 399 (2003) 63; Thermochim. Acta, in press] the results of a preliminary inter/intra laboratory study into the suitability of the base-catalysed hydrolysis of methyl paraben as a test and reference reaction for isothermal flow-through calorimeters. It was shown that this reaction can be used to investigate the flow characteristics of the instrument being used. It has also allowed, for the first time, the calculation of accurate values for the rate constant and for the enthalpy change, ΔH (hereafter H (enthalpy) for simplicity) of reaction directly from the calorimetric data, free from assumption. These findings have been extended to permit the direct determination of Michaelis-Menten based kinetic parameters from calorimetric data again free from assumption (except that the system conforms to Michaelis-Menten kinetic theory). This paper describes the method used for such an analysis and reports the results of a preliminary study on the urea/urease enzymatic system.     

Influence of the deacetylation degree on chitosan emulsification properties

The emulsification of sunflower oil by chitosan solutions with deacetylation degrees (DD) between 73 and 95% was studied using different techniques. The droplet size distributions, conductivity, ageing behavior and viscosity of emulsions were studied as functions of the chitosan DD. All DD gave stable polydisperse water-in-oil-in-water emulsions with different viscosities. Two optimum DD values were found, 81 and 88%, giving complete emulsification without residual oil or sedimentation. Chitosans with intermediate DD were less effective emulsifiers. Chitosans with higher DD gave poor emulsification. Received: 11 January 1999 Accepted in revised form: 31 May 1999     

Influence of iron oxide nanoparticles on the rheological properties of hybrid chitosan ferrogels

Magnetite nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized in the presence of chitosan using an in situ coprecipitation method in alkali media. This method allows obtaining chitosan ferrogels due to the simultaneous gelation of chitosan. The chitosan concentration has been varied and its effects on the particle synthesis investigated. It has been demonstrated that high chitosan concentrations prevents the formation of magnetite due to the slow diffusion of the alkali species through the viscous medium provided by chitosan, instead iron hydroxides are formed. The presence of magnetite nanoparticles increases the elastic modulus which results in a reinforcement of the chitosan ferrogels. This effect is counterbalanced by the disruption of hydrogen bonding responsible for the formation of chitosan hydrogels in alkali media.     

Thermal degradation of polystyrene in the presence of hydrogen by catalyst in solution

For the first time, low temperature degradation (170-240 °C) of polystyrene in benzene is carried out in the presence of hydrogen using iron(III) oxide catalyst. The effect of temperature, catalyst loading and polymer loading on degradation are studied in hydrogen atmosphere. Degradation is also carried out at different initial hydrogen partial pressure. The time dependent molecular weight is calculated using viscosity average method. It is found that the degradation is enhanced considerably in the presence of hydrogen and followed random degradation chain scission. A random degradation kinetic model of Kelen [Kelen T. Polymer degradation. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company; 1983.] is used to estimate the degradation rate constants. Empirical correlations are proposed to account for the effect of catalyst loading and initial hydrogen partial pressure on degradation. The true thermal degradation rate constants are calculated using these proposed correlations at given catalyst loading and initial hydrogen partial pressure with varying temperature. The frequency factor and activation energy are also determined using Arrhenius equation considering the true thermal degradation rate constants.     

Influence of ultraviolet-irradiated oxygen on depolymerization of chitosan

In the present paper, the depolymerization of chitosan was carried out by the ultraviolet-irradiated oxygen treatment. Influence of reaction conditions on depolymerization of chitosan was investigated. The chemical structure of the depolymerized chitosan was characterized by FT-IR and ¹³C NMR spectra. The FT-IR and ¹³C NMR spectra suggested that there was no obvious modification of chemical structure of the depolymerized chitosan. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed that crystalline structure of chitosan can be destroyed by ultraviolet-irradiated oxygen. The use of depolymerization of chitosan by ultraviolet-irradiated oxygen treatment can be a convenient, timesaving, and cost-efficient method for replacing the expensive and time-consuming enzymatic or chemical methods that are currently used to depolymerize chitosan.     

Preparation of chitosan nanoparticles as carrier for immobilized enzyme

This work investigated the preparation of chitosan nanoparticles used as carriers for immobilized enzyme. The morphologic characterization of chitosan nanoparticles was evaluated by scanning electron microscope. The various preparation methods of chitosan nanoparticles were discussed and chosen. The effect of factors such as molecular weight of chitosan, chitosan concentration, TPP concentration, and solution pH on the size of chitosan nanoparticles was studied. Based on these results, response surface methodology was emploved. The results showed that solution pH, TPP concentration, and chitosan concentration significantly affected the size of chitosan nanoparticles. The adequacy of the predictive model equation for predicting the magnitude orders of the size of chitosan nanoparticles was verified effectively by the validation data. Immobilization conditions were investigated as well. The minimum particles size was about 42±5 nm under the optimized conditions. The optimal conditions of immobilization were as follow: one milligram of neutral proteinase was immobilized on chitosan nanoparticles for about 15 min at 40°C. Under the optimized conditions, the enzyme activity yield was 84.3%.     

Covalent modification of multiwalled carbon nanotubes with a low molecular weight chitosan

Covalent modification of shortened multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) with a natural low molecular weight chitosan (LMCS) was accomplished by the nucleophilic substitution reaction. The LMCS modified MWNTs (MWNT-LMCS) were characterized by FTIR, solid-state 13C NMR, and XPS spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The results revealed that amino and primary hydroxyl groups of the LMCS participated mainly in the formation of the MWNT-LMCS conjugates. The MWNT-LMCS consists of 58 wt.% LMCS, and about four molecular chains of the LMCS were attached to 1000 carbon atoms of the nanotube sidewalls. As a novel derivative of the MWNTs, the MWNT-LMCS not only solved in DMF, DMAc and DMSO, but also in aqueous acetic acid solution.     

Kinetic study of the degradation of forskolin in aqueous systems by stability-indicating HPLC method and identification of its degradation products

The degradation kinetics of forskolin in aqueous solution was investigated qualitatively and quantitatively. Two degradation products were isolated and identified as isoforskolin and forskolin D by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. A stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the quantification of forskolin and its degradation products. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Luna C₁₈ column with acetonitrile–water (65:35, v/v) as the mobile phase. The flow rate was kept at 1 mL/min, and the detection wavelength was 210 nm. The kinetic study of forskolin was carried out in aqueous solutions of pH 1.5–8.5 at 37, 50, 65, and 80°C. The degradation rate of forskolin increases with increasing temperature. Forskolin is relatively stable in the pH range 3.5–6.5, but its stability decreases when the pH is outside this range. In the pH range 6.5–8.5, the forskolin degradation follows pseudo-first-order kinetics. Based on the structural identification and quantitative analysis of the degradation products, a possible pathway for forskolin degradation is proposed. Forskolin can be converted to isoforskolin rapidly, and both forskolin and isoforskolin can further decompose to forskolin D.     

Structure and properties of chitosan derivatives modified calcium polyphosphate scaffolds

Organic and inorganic composite material is becoming a solution on making the mechanical and degradation properties of biomaterial more suited. Porous calcium polyphosphate was immersed into different concentrations of carboxymethyl chitosan before immersing 10% alginate dialdegyde. After freeze-drying, the scaffolds were performed in physiologic saline. At stated day, the weightloss, Ca²⁺ concentration, pH value and morphology were measured. The biocompatibility of the composite was demonstrated by extract and direct contact tests. As the results showed, the degradation rates of composites were faster, and the compressive strength became bigger because of the cross-linked network formed by Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) and alginate dialdehyde (ADA). The pH value of composite was higher than that of calcium polyphosphate (CPP) due to the organic part of composite’s pH was in slight alkaline. From the SEM, the cross-linked network structure could be observed clearly. Because the glycosaminoglycans-like chains in CMC molecules, which are typically presented in extracellular matrix (ECM), extractions of composite material gave the cells good adhesion and growth condition. All the results testified the composite scaffold was a good candidate for bone repair.     

A preliminary study on fabrication of nanoscale fibrous chitosan membranes in situ by biospecific degradation

A new approach for in situ fabrication of nanoscale fibrous chitosan membrane by biospecific degradation under physiological situation was studied. The chitosan binary blend membranes were fabricated by solvent casting of chitosan solution containing highly deacetylated chitosan (HDC) and moderately deacetylated chitosan (MDC) with different ratio. The biodegradation process was performed in PBS (pH 7.4) containing lysozyme at the temperature of 37 °C. Experimental results from weight loss, reducing sugar in surrounding media, FT-IR, X-ray diffraction, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and SEM throughout the study showed that the biospecific degradation by lysozyme had removed MDC component selectively. When the ratio of MDC in the binary blend membranes amounted to 0.5, nanoscale domains of HDC and MDC were obtained, and thus a nanoscale fibrous structure was fabricated after biospecific degradation of MDC. This nanofibrous structure and the biospecific degradation of chitosan membranes can have potential advantages and interesting implications in tissue engineering and drug delivery.     

Gelation time and degradation rate of chitosan-based injectable hydrogel

Gelation time and degradation rate of thermally-sensitive aqueous solutions of chitosan/Gp (glycerophosphate disodium salt) have been studied. The effects of different parameters such as Gp salt concentration, solution temperature, degree of deacetylation of chitosan (DDA) and drug loading on the gelation time have been investigated. Gravimetric analysis, gel permeation chromatography and FTIR spectrophotometry were used to investigate the influence of the DDA and concentration of chitosan solution on hydrogel degradation. The presented results indicated that gelation time decreases by increasing Gp salt concentration, temperature, concentration and DDA of chitosan solutions, while drug loading has no significant effect on gelation time. Slower degradation profile was recorded for hydrogel with the higher DDA and concentration of chitosan in the primary solution. FTIR studies indicated that the chemical structure of chitosan macromolecules does not change significantly during the degradation. It could be concluded that biodegradation of chitosan hydrogel occurred via its surfaces.