A Comparative Study on Chitosan and Benzimidazole Modified Chitosan as Antimicrobial and Mercury (Hg) Sensor Biomaterials

By : K. Sriram, K. M. Meera Sheriffa Begum, G.Arthanareeswaran, D. Renuga, P. Uma Maheswari

Page No: 45-55

Abstract
Chitosan modified with 4-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-2-chlorophenol (ligand) selectively senses Hg ions in the presence of other metal ions competitively. The heavy metal (Hg) was effectively sensed even in the low range of concentrations (5 ppm to 25 ppm). The sensing of Hg by the pure ligand was observed through colorimetric and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The adsorption of Hg ions on modified chitosan was measured by ICPOES. The ligand based chitosan modification and the nanoparticle formation were characterized by FTIR, XRD, 1 H NMR, AFM and SEM techniques. The antimicrobial property of free ligand, chitosan and modified chitosan were compared based on their activity towards bacterial species such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella typi and Bacillus subtili and the fungi, Candida albicans. The modified chitosan showed less antimicrobial activity than the pure ligand but more activity in comparison with the pure chitosan.

Authors :
K. Sriram, K. M. Meera Sheriffa Begum and G.Arthanareeswaran : Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli-620 015
D. Renuga : Department of Biotechnology, Selvam College of Technology, Namakkal– 637003
P. Uma Maheswari : Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli -620015