Chitosan (CTS), a biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic polymer, dissolves in water only if pH is lowered under 6.5, when a substantial fraction of the amino groups is protonated. Its range of application has been much extended by partially depolymerising it or converting it to water-soluble derivatives. Working under high-intensity ultrasound at 17.8-18.5 kHz, using either a simple horn or a cup horn, we achieved a controlled depolymerization of CTS, also prepared in high yields several derivatives that can be useful intermediates for further chemical modification, as well as several water-soluble derivatives that lend themselves to a host of industrial applications. Compared to conventional methods, all these reactions went to completion in considerably shorter times at lower temperatures.

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The Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azides and acetylenes catalyzed by Cu(I) salts, leading to 1,2,3-triazoles, is one of the most versatile "click reactions". We have developed a series of optimized protocols and new applications of this reaction starting from several substrates, comparing heterogeneous vs homogeneous catalysis, conventional heating vs microwave irradiation or simultaneous microwave/ultrasound irradiation. Both non-conventional techniques strongly promoted the cycloaddition (bromide → azide → triazole), that could be conveniently performed in a one-pot procedure. This was feasible even with such bulky molecules as functionalized β-cyclodextrins (β-CD), starting from 61-O-tosyl-β-CD or from heptakis[6-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)]-21-O-propargyl-β-CD. "Greener" heterogeneous catalysis with charcoal-supported Cu(II) or Cu(I) (prepared under ultrasound) was advantageously employed.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) and their derivatives are used to suppress unpleasant tastes and odors or to achieve a controlled release of certain food constituents. This article describes the synthesis by nonconventional methods of (1) crosslinked, insoluble CD polymers and (2) water-soluble, CD-grafted carboxymethylchitosan and carboxymethylcellulose. The CD polymers were obtained by the reaction of b-CD with one of the following crosslinking agents: epichlorohydrin, diphenyl carbonate, or hexamethylene diisocyanate. Their preparations were usually carried out under high-intensity ultrasound, which resulted in much shorter reaction times and narrower distributions of particle size (as determined by scanning electron microscopy measurements). A novel, insoluble CD polymer was obtained by reticulation under microwaves of propargyl-b-CD with 1,3-bis(azidomethyl)benzene through Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. Short columns packed with the insoluble polymers were found to efficiently sequester naringin from aqueous solutions; successively, they could be easily regenerated by a counter-current ethanol wash that also achieved an excellent recovery of the flavonoid. Differential scanning calorimetry thermograms showed that the crosslinked CD polymers formed inclusion complexes with naringin. The soluble polymers also interacted with bitter flavonoids of citrus fruits (naringin and limonin), as shown by the results of sensorial panel tests, in which they behaved as bitter-masking agents.

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