Dissolution of konjac glucomannan with room temperature ionic liquids

Two kinds of new room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AMIMCl) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIMCl), were synthesized and used for the dissolution of konjac glucomannan (KGM). The experimental results showed that the solubility of KGM in AMIMCl was better than that in BMIMCl. Regenerated KGM were obtained by adding anhydrous alcohol to the KGM / ionic liquids solutions. Solubility, molecular weight, structure, and thermal property of the regenerated KGM were investigated by polarized optical microscopy (POM), viscosimetry, infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was demonstrated that the viscosity-averaged molecular weight of the KGM samples decreased after regeneration because of the molecular degradation of KGM. Results from IR and XRD indicated that the chemical structure and the crystalline form of regenerated KGM were not changed. Results from TG and DSC showed that the thermal stability of the regenerated KGM samples only slightly decreased. These results suggest that AMIMCl and BMIMCl are direct and effective solvents for KGM.