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Description

Chitooligosaccharides

Cutting the chain short does not change the chemistry; it changes what happens in a beaker. A chitooligosaccharide is still built from β-(1→4)-linked D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine units — there are simply two to ten of them rather than several hundred. At that length the chains stop tangling with each other. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding, the force that locks high-molecular-weight chitosan into a semi-crystalline solid which only opens up in dilute acid, loses most of its grip, so a short-chain fraction dissolves in plain water at neutral pH with nothing more than gentle stirring. Viscosity falls at the same time: a one-percent solution flows close to water instead of behaving like a thickener, which is what a formulator wants when the material has to be a minor ingredient rather than the matrix itself.

We work only at the short-chain end of this family, and across its full width. Bulk powder in the low-molecular-weight cuts, single-oligomer reference standards from the dimer to the decamer, fully deacetylated and fully acetylated families alongside partially acetylated ones, membrane-enriched bands for work that cannot tolerate a broad distribution, and the amino sugars sitting underneath the ladder. Chain length, acetylation pattern and counter-ion are the three variables a batch is built around here, and all three can be specified.

What the term covers, and where its edges fall

Material	Typical DP	Approximate MW	Behaviour in plain water
Chitin	above 1,000	very high	Insoluble at any practical pH
Chitosan, polymer grade	about 20–1,000	roughly 3–1,000 kDa	Needs dilute acid to dissolve
Chitooligosaccharide	2–10	up to about 3.9 kDa	Dissolves at neutral pH
D-Glucosamine, monomer	1	about 179 Da	Freely soluble

Two ways to shorten the chain, and why the route shows up in the product

Acid hydrolysis is the blunt instrument. Chitosan is held in concentrated hydrochloric acid at elevated temperature — roughly 35% HCl at 80 °C for one to two hours is the condition most often quoted — and the glycosidic bonds break more or less at random. The reaction is hard to steer, the fragments spread over a wide range of lengths, and the acid has to be washed out afterwards. Enzymatic hydrolysis behaves in the opposite way. Chitosanase (EC 3.2.1.132) and chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) cut β-(1→4) linkages specifically, at moderate temperature and close to the enzyme optimum pH, so the band you end up with is set by enzyme dose, substrate ratio and time rather than by luck.

	Acid route	Enzymatic route
How the chain is cut	Random attack on the glycosidic bonds	Specific hydrolysis by chitosanase or chitinase, or by a non-specific food-grade enzyme preparation
Typical conditions	Concentrated HCl at elevated temperature (about 35% HCl, 80 °C, 1–2 h)	Moderate temperature, pH near the enzyme optimum, hours to a day
Control of chain length	Poor — fragments up to DP16 have been reported from a single hydrolysis run	Tight — set by enzyme dose, substrate ratio and reaction time
Acetylation outcome	Leaves a higher proportion of monoacetylated residues	Gives a higher share of fully deacetylated oligomers
Downstream work	Acid removal, neutralisation, salt load to manage	Enzyme inactivation and removal, then membrane or chromatographic clean-up
Where we use it	Cost-driven volume where a broad distribution is acceptable	Wherever a defined band, a defined purity or a clean process is required

Flasks of chitosan solution in a temperature-controlled shaking incubator during enzymatic hydrolysis Enzymatic depolymerisation under controlled temperature — the route that keeps the chain-length band narrow.

Reading a quotation from this family

Parameter	What we typically quote	How it is determined
Appearance	White to light-yellow, free-flowing powder	Visual
Oligosaccharide content, dry basis	85% minimum; the upper grades are quoted at 90% minimum	HPLC or colorimetric assay
Degree of deacetylation	85% minimum, rising to 90% and beyond on request	¹H NMR or potentiometric titration
Average molecular weight	1,000–3,000 Da typical, cuts below 1,000 Da available	Viscometry or gel permeation chromatography
Moisture, loss on drying	10% maximum	Gravimetric at 105 °C
Ash	1–2% typical; up to 3% on industrial grade	Gravimetric at 550 °C
Insoluble matter	1% maximum	Gravimetric after dissolution
pH of a 1% solution	4.5–7.0	Glass electrode
Heavy metals	Arsenic 2.0 mg/kg maximum, lead 5.0 mg/kg maximum	ICP-MS or atomic absorption
Microbiological limits	Reported for the individual batch	Standard plate and membrane methods

The ladder, rung by rung

Single oligomers are normally supplied as hydrochloride salts, because the free-amine form is hygroscopic and awkward to weigh accurately. The series below is what we keep in stock; every rung can be supplied from a few milligrams up to multi-gram quantities.

DP	Oligomer	Formula, hydrochloride	MW	CAS	Purity
2	Chitobiose, dihydrochloride	C12H24N2O9 · 2HCl	413.25	577-76-4	98%
3	Chitotriose, trihydrochloride	C18H35N3O13 · 3HCl	610.86	41708-93-4	98%
4	Chitotetraose, tetrahydrochloride	C24H46N4O17 · 4HCl	808.48	117399-50-5	98%
5	Chitopentaose, pentahydrochloride	C30H57N5O21 · 5HCl	1,006.10	35061-50-7	97%
6	Chitohexaose, hexahydrochloride	C36H68N6O25 · 6HCl	1,203.71	41708-95-6	96%
7	Chitoheptaose, heptahydrochloride	C42H79N7O29 · 7HCl	1,401.33	68232-35-9	95%
8	Chitooctaose, octahydrochloride	C48H90N8O33 · 8HCl	1,598.94	98632-70-3	95%
9	Chitononaose, nonahydrochloride	C54H101N9O37 · 9HCl	1,796.56	on request	90% and above
10	Chitodecaose, decahydrochloride	C60H112N10O41 · 10HCl	1,994.17	on request	90% and above

Three acetylation families, not one

Chain length is only half of a batch's identity. The acetyl groups still attached to the chain change the charge density unit by unit, and the way they are distributed along the oligomer — the pattern of acetylation — is a variable in its own right. Material from a straight acid or enzyme hydrolysis usually carries a random pattern. Where a project depends on the arrangement, the pattern can be steered by combining a chitin oligosaccharide deacetylase with the depolymerising enzyme, and then proven rather than assumed.

Family	Composition	Acetylation	What it is bought for
Fully deacetylated, fdCOS	GlcN units only	DD about 95–100%	Every unit carries a free amine, so this is the highest charge density available in the family — the reference point for cationic interaction work.
Partially acetylated, paCOS	GlcN and GlcNAc in the same chain	DA usually below 25%; random unless specified	Water solubility together with sequence recognition, where an enzyme or binding protein has to see particular residues.
Fully acetylated, faCOS	GlcNAc units only — the chitin oligomers	DA above 95%	Insolubility returns with length: the short members still dissolve, the longer ones need a co-solvent. The classic substrate set for chitinase work.

Molecular-weight cuts for volume work

Most projects do not need a single species. Bulk material is supplied as a defined molecular-weight window, and the window determines how the powder behaves once it is in solution. Four standard cuts sit on the shelf; narrower ones are produced by membrane fractionation to order.

Cut	Roughly DP	At 1–5% solids	Usually chosen when
below 1 kDa	2–5	Thin, water-white solution	The highest solubility and the lowest viscosity are wanted in the same material.
1–2 kDa	about 5–10	Thin to faintly viscous	A middle ground is needed; this is the most common entry point for trial work.
2–3 kDa	about 10–18	Noticeably viscous	A little body is wanted without giving up neutral-pH solubility.
3–5 kDa	above 18	Viscous at higher solids	Blends and cost-sensitive work that still asks for water solubility.
5–10 kDa, industrial	above 30	Thick at higher solids	Specification is looser and price per kilo is the deciding factor.

$Automated fraction collector filling a rack of glass test tubes with clear liquid$ Collecting the separated fractions: a mixed hydrolysate being split into defined molecular-weight windows.

Standards, kits and substrates

Analytical work needs the single species, not the mixture, so this part of the range is built around small vials and documents rather than drums. Every lot leaves with its chromatographic and spectral data attached.

Item	Supplied as	Notes
Single-oligomer standards, DP2–DP10	Hydrochloride salt; 5, 10, 50 or 100 mg	Purity from 90% upward by HPLC, with TLC, HPLC, MALDI-TOF-MS and ¹H NMR data available for the lot.
Kit A (DP2–DP6) and Kit B (DP2–DP10)	One vial of each oligomer, 10 mg each	For laboratories that need the whole series on the shelf rather than one rung of it.
Mixed standards, DP3–DP7 or DP2–DP10	1 g	Characterised as a distribution; the practical route to calibrating a chromatographic method.
Fully acetylated series	Acetate-capped oligomers, 5–10 mg	From chitobiose octaacetate upward, where an organic-soluble form is easier to handle than the free oligomer.
N-acetylated free oligomers	N,N′-diacetylchitobiose and higher homologues	The natural products of chitinase action, useful as reference points in degradation studies.
N-Acetyl-D-glucosamine	10 mg upward	The bottom rung of the ladder; CAS 7512-17-6.

How a batch is characterised

An average molecular weight hides a distribution, and two powders with the same average can behave quite differently. We report the distribution itself, using whichever of the following methods suits the question being asked.

Technique	What it tells you
MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry	The intact mass of every oligomer present, so the DP profile of a batch arrives in a single spectrum. This is also the quickest way to find out whether a material sold as DP4 is really one species or a cluster around it.
HPAEC with pulsed amperometric detection	Separation of the glucosamine monomer through the higher oligomers, with quantification of each; the workhorse method for mixtures.
HPLC with refractive index detection	Routine determination of total oligosaccharide content for release testing.
Gel permeation chromatography	Average molecular weight and polydispersity for the bulk cuts.
¹H and ¹³C NMR	Degree of deacetylation, plus confirmation that the β-(1→4) linkage is intact.
ESI tandem mass spectrometry	Sequence and acetylation position, when the pattern of acetylation has to be demonstrated rather than assumed.
FTIR	Fast fingerprinting; residual protein or mineral contamination shows up immediately.

Stainless steel mass spectrometry target plate with dried sample spots beside a glass syringe Reading the oligomer distribution of a finished batch from a mass spectrometry target plate.

Getting it into solution, and keeping it there

No acid step. At this chain length the powder dissolves in water at room temperature with gentle stirring, and nothing has to be added beforehand. That is the practical difference from polymer-grade chitosan, which needs dilute acid to open up before it will go into solution at all.
Expect a mildly acidic solution. A one-percent solution typically lands between pH 4.5 and 7.0, depending on how many acetyl groups remain and on the counter-ion, so measure it after dissolution rather than assuming a figure.
Water is the solvent; ethanol, propanol and the other alcohols are not. Where a co-solvent is needed for a longer partially acetylated member, dissolve the solid in water first and add the alcohol afterwards.
Order of addition matters in formulations. Dropping the solid into a dilute solution of an anionic polymer will find the two complexing on the spot; add the oligosaccharide solution last, under good agitation, if a clear system is the goal.
Store sealed, cool, dry and out of direct light. Solutions are best used fresh; where one has to be kept, freeze it or dry the material back down rather than holding it as a liquid at room temperature.
Two conditions to avoid: prolonged heat and strongly alkaline media. Both push the short chains back toward polymer behaviour and darken the powder along the way.

Water poured from a glass jug into a beaker of white powder that dissolves on contact The whole proposition in one frame: powder going into plain water and dissolving without an acid step.

Where short chains are actually used

Area	Form usually used	What the work looks like
Plant science	Bulk material, 1–2 kDa and below	Low-dose trial work — seed treatment and foliar studies — where the oligomer is examined as a signal rather than as a nutrient.
Postharvest and food-material research	Bulk material and cast films	Coating and film research, using the cationic chain to build a barrier or to complex with an anionic partner.
Animal nutrition research	Bulk material, feed grade	Functional-additive studies in aquafeed and poultry work, at inclusion rates measured in grams per tonne.
Formulation and delivery research	Single oligomers and narrow cuts	Nanoparticle and self-assembly work, where fixing the chain length removes a variable from the experiment.
Cosmetics and personal care	Bulk material, low cut	Film-forming and moisture-retaining behaviour screened at low use levels.
Enzymology and assay development	faCOS, N-acetylated series, kits	Substrates and calibrants for chitinase and chitosanase assay work.
Materials	Bulk material, derivatives	Hydrogel and coating research in which the oligomer is a functional or crosslinkable component.

Glass petri dish of pale gel with punched wells and soft clearing halos around them Assay work: clearing zones in a chitin gel plate, the classic readout for chitinase or chitosanase activity.

Adjusting a batch, and scaling it

Nearly every project starts from one of the standard cuts and then moves. These are the levers we can pull, individually or together.

Chain length: DP-enriched fractions separated by membrane or chromatographic methods, from a two-oligomer band up to a broad technical cut.
Acetylation: fully deacetylated, partially acetylated or fully acetylated, with the pattern itself specified where an application depends on it.
Counter-ion: hydrochloride, acetate or lactate, whichever sits better with the rest of the formulation.
Purity: standard grade through to material intended for analytical work, with lot-specific chromatograms and spectra attached.
Pack size: from 5 mg reference vials up to 25 kg drums, foil-lined for bulk consignments.
Paperwork: a certificate of analysis and a safety data sheet with every shipment, and retention samples kept against the batch number for traceability.
Matched supply: send the specification you already buy against, and we will quote to that rather than asking you to redesign around whatever happens to be in stock.

Stainless steel drum filled with fine white powder with a scoop resting in it Bulk consignments leave in sealed drums with the batch documentation attached.

Picking a starting point

Most first orders come down to one of the rows below. Where the requirement is not on the list, describe the experiment rather than the product — the fraction that fits and what it will look like on a specification sheet is a short conversation.

If your requirement is	Start with
The highest charge density per unit mass	Fully deacetylated material, DP2–DP6 enriched
One defined species for a controlled experiment	A single-oligomer standard from the DP2–DP10 ladder
Solubility in neutral water with no acid handling	A bulk cut below 3 kDa
A substrate for chitinase or chitosanase assays	The fully acetylated series, Kit A, or the N-acetylated homologues
Calibration of a chromatographic method	Mixed standard DP2–DP10 or DP3–DP7
Proof of an acetylation pattern rather than a chain length	Partially acetylated material with a specified pattern, plus ESI-MS/MS data
Consistency at scale with a looser specification	Industrial-grade 5–10 kDa cut

Catalog Number	Product Name	Order	Quantity
CHCH-0026	Food Grade Chitosan Oligosaccharide (MW below 3000 Da, Water Soluble)	Inquiry	- +
CHCH-0027	Agricultural Grade Chitosan Oligosaccharide (MW below 5000 Da)	Inquiry	- +
CHCH-0045	Chitosan Oligosaccharide Elicitor Grade (MW 3000/5000/8000 Da Options)	Inquiry	- +
CHCH-0046	Refined Grade Chitooligosaccharide (MW up to 1000 or 2000 Da, Low Ash)	Inquiry	- +
CHCH-0047	Food Grade Chitooligosaccharide Powder (MW up to 3000 Da, Micro Panel)	Inquiry	- +
CHCH-0048	Agricultural Grade Chitooligosaccharide (MW 3000/5000/8000 Da Grades)	Inquiry	- +
CHCH-0049	Fertilizer Grade Chitooligosaccharide (Assay above 90%, MW up to 5000 Da)	Inquiry	- +
CHCH-0050	Feed Grade Chitooligosaccharide (MW 3000/5000/8000 Da, Water Soluble)	Inquiry	- +
CHCH-0078	Crop Protection Grade Chitooligosaccharide (MW up to 3000 Da, Biopesticide Base)	Inquiry	- +
CHCH-0079	Food Grade Chitooligosaccharide Powder (MW up to 1000 Da, Low Ash)	Inquiry	- +

For Research or Industrial Raw Materials, Not For Personal Medical Use!