Abstract
Chitin and its deacetylated derivative chitosan are natural copolymers composed of randomly distributed β-(1 → 4)-linked 2-acetamido-d-glucose and 2-amino-d-glucose units in variable proportions (Figure 5.1). Chitin occurs naturally in a wide variety of species from fungi to lower animals. However, chitosan only occurs in some fungi and it is normally prepared by the deacetylation of chitin (Muzzarelli 1977; Roberts 1998). Chitin is an abundant polymer and both chitin and chitosan exhibit very interesting properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and metal-binding ability among others (Aranaz et al. 2009). Therefore, both polymers have potential applications in many elds such as in biomedicine, waste water treatment, or cosmetics (Dodane and Vilivalam 1998; Rinaudo 2006).
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Chitin and Chitosan Derivatives |
Subtitle of host publication | Advances in Drug Discovery and Developments |
Publisher | CRC Press |
Pages | 113-120 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781466566323 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781466566286 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
- General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
- General Chemistry