Synthesis of new chitosan derivatives and combination with biodegradable polymer

New chitosan derivatives are synthesized by the reductive N-alkylation reaction of chitosan with various aldehydes, such as 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, cholesteryl 4-formylbenzoate, and N-dehydroabietyl-4-formylbenzamide. The palladium-adsorption ability of the newly synthesized derivatives is found to be as good as that of chitosan. A blend of chitosan and other biodegradable polymers is also found to exhibit palladium-adsorption ability. In comparison to the starting chitosan, the chitosan derivative having dehydroabietyl-type side chains exhibited an improved solubility in methanol. The chitosan derivatives are successfully applied as plastic coating materials for electroless plating. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.