Hi all,
Question: I would like to carboxylate a dextran chain (long sugar chain). In literature bromoacetic acid is used for this purpose (coupling to the OH groups). Will 0.1 M NaOH be sufficient as a base in this case? What do you think?
Thanks!
Regards,
S.
reaction with bromoacetic acid
Moderators: Xen, expert, ChenBeier
surface, I understand, sodium hydroxide is the most common, but not very good in this case. It's not so much about NaOH, but water that is not a good solvent in this case. Hydroxy groups of dextran will be "lost" in water. I'd recommend non-aqueous polar solvent such as DMF and soluble strong base. You can use sodium ethoxide or methoxide or even sodium hydroxide in methanol, just remove water or methanol/ethanol by initial evaporation with DMF. After evaporation (primarily at room temperature/vacuum) you can use your reagent. I hope you have methods in place to measure the level of modification.
Remember safety first! Check MSDS and consult with professionals before performing risky experiments.