Synthesis of Chitosan Surfactants

Chitosan surfactants were prepared in a three‐step reaction starting with glycol chitosan (GC) and chitosan oligosaccharides (COS). In the case of GC, water‐insoluble products were obtained, the functionalisation of which were proven via IR spectroscopy. Starting with COS, a broad variety of products with different ratios of ionic and hydrophobic side chains were prepared and characterised by NMR and partially by IR spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the thermal stability of functionalised COS did not change. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) was determined from surface tension measurements to be 0.01 mg · mL−1 for a sample of ionic to hydrophobic units of 1:1. magnified image