CHITIN DERIVATIVES HAVING CARBOXYALKYL GROUPS AS HYDROPHILIC SUBSTITUENTS AND ALKYL GROUPS AS HYDROPHOBIC SUBSTITUENTS, AND POLYMER MICELLAR CARRIERS COMPRISED OF THESE CHITIN DERIVATIVES, AND MICELLE-LIKE AQUEOUS COMPOSITIONS OF THESE CHITIN DERIVATIVES

摘要

Chitin derivatives having carboxylated lower alkyl groups, represented by general formula (1) wherein R1 is (CH2)nCH3 (n being 8 to 20), CO(CH2)nCH3 (n being 7 to 19), H or COCH3; and R2 is (CH2)nCOOH or a salt thereof (n being 1 to 5) or H, with the provisos that the degree of deacetylation of N-acetyl groups of the chitin is 70 to 100 % (when the case wherein one N-acetyl group is deacetylated per monosaccharide is taken as 100 %), that the degree of substitution of R1 with alkyl or alkylcarbonyl is 10 to 100 % (when the case wherein one R1 group is substituted per monosaccharide is taken as 100 %), that the degree of substitution of R2 with carboxylated lower alkyl is 50 to 200 % (when the case wherein two R2 groups are substituted per monosaccharide is taken as 200 %) and that the molecular weight of the chitin nucleus is 500,000 or below, preferably 100,000 or below. The above chitin derivatives have both carboxylated lower alkyl groups as hydrophilic substituents and hydrophobic substituents and are useful as soil conditioners, coagulants for proteins, and micelle forming agents.