Chitosan의 탈아세틸화도와 분자량에 미치는 chitosan 제조조건의 영향을 조사한 결과는 다음과 같다. 탈아세틸화 과정에서 NaOH 농도가 높을수록 탈아세틸화는 많이 일어났으나 $40\%$ 이상의 농도에서는 농도가 증가할수록 탈아세틸화의 증가폭은 감소하고, 분자량의 감소폭은 줄어들지 않았다. 가열온도를 $130^{circ}C$ 에서 $150^{circ}C$로 증가시켰을 때 탈아세틸화도는 $84\%$에서 $87\%$로 $3\%$ 정도 증가한 반면 분자량은 267,000에서 85,800로 $90^{circ}C$에서 $130^{circ}C$로 증가하였을 때의 분자량 감소폭보다 크게 나타났다. 그리고 3시간 이상 연속 알칼리처리하여도 $86\%$ 이상의 탈아세틸화도를 얻지 못하였지만 간헐적으로 수세하여 처리한 경우 3회 처리하였을 때 $93\%$의 탈아세틸화가 일어났다. 연속으로 3시간 처리했을 경우 탈아세틸화도는 $84\%$이었고, 분자량은 267,000이었으나 간헐반복처리로 3시간처리 했을 때는 탈아세틸화도가 $93\%$, 분자량은 280,000으로 연속처리 한 경우보다 더 높았다.
Chitosan was prepared from red snow crab (Chinonecetes japonicus) under various conditions of deacetylation (NaOH concentration, heating temperature, heating time and intermittent and repetition treatment). By measuring the degree of deacetylation and the molecular weight (Mw), effect of preparation condition was studied. As the concentration of NaOH increased in deacetylation process, for chitosan treated over $40\%$ NaOH, the rate of increase of the deacetylation of chitosan decreased, but the difference of Mw decrease was nearly constant. When treatment temperature increased from $130^{circ}C$ to $150^{circ}C$, the deacetylation degree increased only $3^{circ}C;from;84\%;to;87\%,$ but Mw decreased from 267,000 to 85,800. The difference of Mw decrease of chitosan treated $130-150^{circ}C$ was larger than that with $90-130^{circ}C$. The deacetylation degree and Mw of the chitosan prepared by continuous treatment for 3 hrs was$84\%$ and 267,000. On the other hand those of chitosan with intermittent and repetition treatment for 3hrs was $93\%$ and 28,000. In order to increase the degree of deacetylation and inhibit depolymerizing, the intermittent and repetition treatment was found to be more effective than the continuous treatment.
