Characterization of the block structure and molecular weight of sodium alginates

Sodium alginates are widely used within the pharmaceutical sciences, yet the molecular characteristics of these materials are frequently not stated. In this study, a range of characterization techniques is applied to five sodium alginate samples and the data compared, both between techniques and with the information obtained from the manufacturer. The mannuronic acid to guluronic acid (MG) ratio and the distribution of uronic acid residues of five sodium alginate samples have been measured using circular dichroism and NMR, with circular dichroism yielding MG ratios between 42.1 and 63.6%, depending on the grade of alginate used. The MG ratios obtained from NMR studies were in broad agreement with these values, and the technique also yielded information on the distribution of uronic acid residues within each batch; this was again found to vary considerably (NG > 1 values ranging from 6.9 to 17.5). It was noted that samples with similar MG ratios could have markedly different chain-distribution characteristics. The uronic acid ratio ranges obtained from the manufacturers were found to be in good agreement with those found experimentally. Intrinsic viscosity measurements were used to compare the molecular weights of the samples; values between approximately 12000 and 180000 were obtained for the different batches. The study has enabled comparison of different methods for characterization of sodium alginate samples, highlighting their relative merits and the possible protocols that might be adopted. A critical discussion is given of the individual and combined use of these techniques and the relevance of such studies to the rational design and quality control of alginate-based pharmaceutical systems.