Abstract
Chitin oligomers are of interest because of their numerous biologically relevant properties. To prepare chitin oligomers containing 4–6 GlcNAc units [(GlcNAc)4–6], α- and β-chitin were hydrolyzed with concentrated hydrochloric acid at 40°C. The reactant was mixed with acetone to recover the acetone-insoluble material, and (GlcNAc)4–6 was efficiently recovered after subsequent water extraction. Composition analysis using gel permeation chromatography and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry indicated that (GlcNAc)4–6 could be isolated from the acetone-insoluble material with recoveries of approximately 17% and 21% from the starting α-chitin and β-chitin, respectively. The acetone precipitation method is highly useful for recovering chitin oligomers from the acid hydrolysate of chitin. The changes in the molecular size and higher-order structure of chitin during the course of hydrolysis were also analyzed, and a model that explains the process of oligomer accumulation is proposed.
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