Microwave assisted rapid synthesis of N-methylene phosphonic chitosan via Mannich-type reaction.

Bio-conjugation or functional group substitutions are well-explored methods to enhance the physico-chemical and biochemical functionality of chitosan. N-Methylene phosphonic chitosan (NMPC) is one of the major substituted forms of chitosan, which has significant bioactivity and promising biomedical application. However, the reported synthesis methods of NMPC have limitations alike poor yield, higher degradation rate and most importantly long synthesis time (∼14h). In the current study, rapid synthesis of NMPC via a Mannich type reaction route using microwave irradiation has been reported. This method of NMPC synthesis offers significantly less synthesis time with competitive product yield. Synthesized NMPC was characterized via NMR, FTIR, EDS, XRD and thermal analysis. Further, viscosity average molecular weight, solubility, and conductivity of the substituted polymer were measured. Preliminary cyto-compatibility results of synthesized NMPC were promising for further exploration in biomedical applications.