Abstract
Chitosan, derived from the natural polysaccharide chitin, was fragmented in very dilute acetic acid solutions using zeolites and molecular sieves, a type of zeolites, under variable reaction conditions of temperature, acid concentration, duration of reaction, and zeolites of variable pore sizes. Fragmentation resulted in the formation of appreciable amounts of chitosan oligomers comprised of 4–8 units, which were studied by using LC-MS, MS, as well as IR spectroscopy. The prepared fragments were tested for their biological activity and some of them showed antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria.
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