Procedure for determination of the molecular weight of chitosan by viscometry

The aim of this publication is to facilitate the estimation of chitosan molecular weight (MW) in laboratories with no access to sophisticated analytical instruments, by applying the easily accessible and economical capillary viscometry. The procedure of viscosity-average molecular weight (Mv) determination is described in details. The examples provided encompass testing of the experimental procedure for determination of the Mv of chitosan with a low-molecular weight of 7.7 kDa and 88 kDa, after verification with a high-molecular weight polymer (477 kDa). The experimental work demonstrated the importance of the initial concentration of low-MW chitosan for the accurate determination of intrinsic viscosity and, as a consequence, the viscosity-average molecular weight.