Syntheses of Novel Chitosan Derivatives Soluble in Organic Solvents by Regioselective Chemical Modifications

Abstract Regioselective chemical modifications of chitosan were successfully carried out in homogeneous solution under mild condition using phthalimido chitosan as a key starting material. Discrimination between the primary and secondary hydroxyl groups were also examined by O-tritylation or O-tosylation. As anticipated, the new chitosan derivatives exhibited a much improved solubility in common organic solvents.