Abstract

Chitosan is a biocompatible, biodegradable and non-toxic polysaccharide polymer. It dissolves in water only if the pH is lower than 6.5. To extend its range of application, many water-soluble derivatives have therefore been prepared. In this research, chitosan-vitamin C complex was synthesized and characterized with Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and ¹ H-NMR. The solubility of chitosan-vitamin C complex in distilled water was greatly improved. The •O₂ ^- scavenging activity of chitosan-vitamin C complex was compared with chitosan and vitamin C by measuring the auto-oxidation rate of pyrogallic acid. Results showed that the scavenging activity on •O₂ ^- by chitosan-vitamin C complex was stronger than that by CS. At low concentrations (<0.05 mg/ml), the scavenging activity of chitosan-vitamin C complex was stronger than that of vitamin C, but after certain concentrations (>0.1mg/ml), its scavenging activity was lower than that of vitamin C.