Dye Probes for Polysaccharide Conformation Analysis

Little has been known about ICD of dyes bound to polysaccharides. Nishida and Iwasaki 237 first found that AO molecules bound to carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) in aqueous solution exhibits ICD bands in its absorption region. The CD signs, positive at 425 nm and negative at 450 nm, were assigned to a left-handed configuration of the bound AO molecules. Hyaluronic acid also was analyzed in terms of the ICD of AO bound to it 238). In these cases, the helical handness of the polysaccharides had not been well defined. 

Since the observations of the ICD were on equilibrium mixtures between anomers, definitive interpretations must await for other physicochemical analyses such as NMR. 

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