Dissolution Behavior of Chitin in Ionic Liquids

The dissolution behavior of chitin in a series of ionic liquids containing alkylimidazolium chloride, alkylimidazolium dimethyl phosphate, and 1-allyl-3-methyl-imidazolium acetate has been studied. Chitin with a low degree of acetylation and low molecular weight can be readily dissolved in ionic liquids, while those with a high degree of acetylation can also be dissolved in ionic liquids with various critical solution temperatures (CST) mainly depending on the structure of the chitin and the ionic liquids. The results indicated that the dissolution behavior of chitin in ionic liquids was affected by the degree of acetylation (DA), the crystallinity, and the molecular weights of chitin, as well as the nature of the anion of the ionic liquid.