Chitin infrared spectrum

Like cellulose, chitin is a polysaccharide for which the polarized-infrared spectrum has proved a valuable complement to x-ray data. For... 

It should be noted that the spectrum of chitin reflects mainly the macrostructure of the fully iV-acetylated regions, because the spectral contributions of a small number of glucosamine residues are lost in the presence of broad and intense bands caused by the bulk of the polysaccharide. Falk et al. suspect previous conclusions about the macrostructure of chitin derived from X-ray diffraction and infrared studies, and feel that in any case they are not relevant to the structure of chitan. 

Fig. 6.13. The infrared absorption spectrum of chitan (A) and chitin (B). (Falk et ai, 1966.)...

O-Carboxymethyl (CM)-chitin was prepared according to the method described previously (see Scheme 2), which is mainly based on the procedure of Trujillo [21]. The degree of substitution at the C-6 hydroxyl group was 0.60, as determined by elemental analysis, potentiometric titration, and the infrared (IR) spectrum [22]. The molecular weight, as based on viscosity, was 63,000, using the viscosity equation proposed by Kaneko et al. [25]. 

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