HIGH-PERFORMANCE GEL-PERMEATION CHROMATOGRAPHY OF CHITOSAN SAMPLES

The conformational properties of chitosan, a copolymer of 2-acetamido- 2-deoxy-D-glucose and 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose, have been examined bo th in solution and in the solid state. Little has been reported previo usly on the determination of molecular weight using high-performance g el-permeation chromatography (HPGPC) and no attempt has been devoted t o an examination of molecular weight distribution. An HPGPC method for evaluating the above-mentioned parameters for chitosan samples having different molecular weights and different degrees of acetylation was therefore developed. Calibration using sodium polystyrene sulfonate co mmercial standards of narrow molecular weight distribution could not b e carried out in the solvent system used for chitosan. Calibration was therefore performed by means of chitosan samples obtained by depolyme rization.