Isolation of D-glucosamine from chitin-glucan complexes

The peculiarities of the acidic hydrolysis of chitin-glucan complexes (ChGCs) of higher fungi were studied, and the technology for the isolation and purification of D-(+)-glucosamine hydrochloride of high purity from hydrolysate was developed. The composition, properties, and purity of the product were analyzed by a combination of physicochemical methods. The yield of the final product was 20-60%, depending on the chitin content in ChGC samples. The obtained amino sugar was a white crystalline odorless powder readily soluble in water, slightly soluble in 95% ethanol, and insoluble in chloroform and other organic solvents, and on the basic parameters corresponded to the standard D-(+)-glucosamine hydrochloride.