Study on the deacetylation and mechanism of chitin in natural deep eutectic solvent

A large number of hydrogen bonds is the main reason for hindering the dissolution and reaction of chitin, and a mild and green deacetylation method to prepare chitosan for a wider range of applications is urgent. As a non-toxic and degradable green solvent, the deep eutectic solvent can effectively interfere with the hydrogen bond network of chitin, making chitin more susceptible to other solvents. Therefore, a NADES system consisting of betaine and glycerol was proposed for application in the deacetylation reaction of chitin to facilitate further attack of N-acetyl groups by low concentrations of NaOH. After optimizing the reaction conditions, chitosan with 83.77 % deacetylation was prepared, requiring only a concentration of 25 wt% NaOH. The analysis of the product chitosan showed that NADES could not only effectively improve the degree of deacetylation, but also reduce the degree of damage to the molecular weight by alkali. In addition, the potential mechanisms involved in the deacetylation process by NADES were explored. The nature of the reaction was verified by FT-IR, XRD and theoretical calculations as the process of opening intra/intermolecular hydrogen bonds of chitin by NADES. More importantly, experimental and in-depth theoretical studies provide a reference for the green preparation of chitosan.