Chemical crosslinking polysaccharides

The list of the new gels for which phase transitions are possible is supplemented in the paper by Amiya and Tanaka, who discovered discrete collapse for the most important representatives of biopolymers - chemically crosslinked networks formed by proteins, DNA and polysaccharides [45]. Thus, it was demonstrated that discrete collapse is a general property of weakly charged gels and that the most important factor, which is responsible for the occurrence of this phenomenon, is the osmotic pressure of the system of counter ions. 

Delayed Crosslinking Additives. Glyoxal [458,460,461] is effective as a delay additive within a certain pH range. It bonds chemically with both boric acid and the borate ions to limit the number of borate ions initially available in solution for subsequent crosslinking of a hydratable polysaccharide (e.g., galactomannan). The subsequent rate of crosslinking of the polysaccharide can be controlled by adjusting the pH of the solution. 

Carbohydrate molecules containing amine groups, such as D-glucosamine, easily may be conjugated to other macromolecules using a number of amine reactive chemical reactions and crosslinkers (Chapter 2, Section 1 and Chapter 3). Some polysaccharides containing acetylated... 

Preliminary structural studies of cutin and suberin breakdown involved examination of 13C NMR spectra for insoluble residues that were resistant to chemical depolymerization. In cutin samples, flexible CH2 moieties in particular were removed by such treatments, but CHOCOR crosslinks and polysaccharide impurities were retained preferentially. A concomitant narrowing of NMR spectral lines suggested that the treatments produced more homogeneous polyester structures in both cases. Our current studies of cu-ticular breakdown also employ selective depolymerization strategies with appropriate enzymes (1,28). 

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