Inulin periodate oxidation

On the other hand, polymeric carriers can also be modified to introduce reactive groups. Polysaccharides such as dextran and inulin may be activated [149] by periodate oxidation to create aldehyde groups, by succinic anhydride activation to create carboxylic groups, or by p-nitrophenyl chloroformate activation to create reactive ester groups. 

Detailed studies of the periodate oxidation of dextran and inulin (4-6) have shown evidence for the occurrence of hemiacetal structures formed by reaction of aldehydes with hydroxyl groups of either the same unit (intra-residual) or a neighbouring unit (inter-residual). Inter-residual hemiacetal formation reduces the number of diol struc-... 

Inulin can be modified to compounds that display good heavy metal complexing properties similar to ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) but with better biodegradation properties (Bogaert et al., 1998). Inulin is first oxidized using sodium periodate to the dialdehyde, and then reduced to a polyol using Pt/C and hydrogen. The polyol can then be modified with carbon disulfide to form xanthate or with S03-pyridine to obtain an inulin sulfate. Alternatively, the dialdehyde can be animated with diaminoethane and sodium cyanoborohydride and the product reacted with monochloroacetic acid sodium salt to form carboxymethylamino inulin. Each of these compounds can be used to precipitate heavy metals. 

Particularly preferred polysaccharides are inulin, levans from plants, and bacterial fructans. Suitable glycol-specific oxidizing agents include sodium periodate, or lead tetra acetate. Examples of reducing agents include sodium borohydride and sodium cyano-borohydride (38). 

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