Modification of Chitosan by Zincke Reaction: Synthesis of a Novel Polycationic Chitosan-Pyridinium Derivative

Chitosan is a biodegradable aminopolysaccharide produced by deacetylation of acetamide groups of chitin, one of the most abundant organic materials in nature. Many different types of organic reactions have been described to modify the functional groups of chitosan and produce materials with applications in a large number of areas. However, the Zincke reaction, an old method which is commonly used to convert primary amine in pyridinium salts, has not been reported to transform the chitosan amino group at C-2 position in glucosamine units. In this paper, our efforts are described to carry out th...