Light-scattering, X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis and infrared spectro- photometry characterization of chitosan, a chelating polymer

Measurements on chitosan, which is used as a selective chromatographic support in inorganic chromatography, show that its molecular weight is 1.2 x 10(5), the nitrogen content is 7.4%, and its crystalline structure is not lost after adsorption of metal ions, which are co-ordinated with the nitrogen atoms of the -NH(2) groups of the polymer. Chitosan treated with copper sulphate exhibits a new crystal structure and a distinctive infrared spectrum, is quite stable and does not shrink, and is proposed as a chromatographic support for ligand-exchange chromatography.