Question

Can chloride ions be removed from sodium alginate beads after continuous washing

Answer 1

Sodium Alginate

Sodium alginate is an anionic linear polysaccharide composed of alternating blocks of β-(1→4)-linked d-mannuronic acid (M) and α-(1→4)-linked l-guluronic (G) residues.

From: Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 2017

Related terms:

ChitosanDrugCalcium(0)AlginateNanoparticleHydrogelGelFiberNanofiberAntimicrobial Agent

Learn more about Sodium Alginate

Natural Polymeric Biomaterials: Processing and Properties☆

L.A. Loureiro dos Santos, in Reference Module in Materials Science and Materials Engineering, 2017

4.2 Alginate

Sodium alginate (NaC6H7O6) is a linear polysaccharide derivative of alginic acid comprised of 1,4-β-d-mannuronic (M) and α-l-guluronic (G) acids. Sodium alginate is a cell wall component of marine brown algae, and contains approximately 30 to 60% alginic acid. The conversion of alginic acid to sodium alginate allows its solubility in water, which assists its extraction. Bacterial alginates are synthesized by only two bacterial genera, Pseudomonas and Azotobacter, and is used for protection from the environment and the synthesis of biofilms in order to adhere to surfaces. This method of synthesis allows the bacteria to produce alginates with a well-defined monomer composition, which may allow the production of “tailor-made” bacterial alginates (Hay et al., 2010).

The biggest advantage of alginates is its liquid–gel behavior in aqueous solutions. When monovalent ions (eg, sodium in sodium alginate) are exchanged for divalent ions (especially calcium), the reaction proceeds almost immediately, changing from a low viscosity solution to a gel structure. The gelled mass is a copolymer composed of two kinds of monomer units.

Alginic acid is used as a hydrocolloid in various applications such as food manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and in textiles and cosmetics, particularly as an emulsifier, and is also used in dentistry to make molds. More recently, alginate have been studied extensively due to its tissue compatibility and use in tissue engineering, including the regeneration of skin tissue, cartilage, bone, pancreas, liver, muscles and nerves (Lee and Mooney, 2012), in addition to being used in the encapsulation of cells for the controlled release of drugs.