UV Spectrophotometry: Improvements in the Study of the Degree of Acetylation of Chitosan

Abstract A simple and rapid method for determining the degree of N ‐acetylation ( DA ) of chitosan by ultraviolet spectrophotometry using double beam equipment is proposed. D ‐Glucosamine (GlcN) hydrochloride and N ‐acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) were used as model substances, and chitosan solutions in different solvents were studied. The best results were obtained from 0.1 M HCl solutions, with high reproducibility and in good agreement with those given by conductometric titration, FT‐IR, 1 H NMR and elemental analysis. Correlation between DA obtained by UV and DA obtained by conductometric titration. magnified image Correlation between DA obtained by UV and DA obtained by conductometric titration.