The Study of the Reaction of Pectin-Ag(0) Nanocomposites Formation

Pectin polysaccharides (PSs) were isolated from a bark of Larix sibirica Ledeb. Structure of PS fragments determined by chemical transformations, chromatography, and spectroscopic analyses was found to be a linear galacturonane comprising 1,4-linked α-D-GalpA residues and a rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I). The fifth part of galacturonane residues was methyl esterified at at C-2 and/or C-3 and C-6 atoms. Some of RG-I side chains were identified as arabinogalactan subunits with highly branched structure consisting of linear backbone with3,6)-β-D-Galp-(1residues, substituted at C-6 by neutral side chains. This side chains contained2,5)-α-L-Araf-(1and3,5)-α-L-Araf-(1residues and terminal arabinose in the pyranose and furanose form. It was found that “pectin-Ag(0)” nanobiocomposites were formed via the interaction between PS aqueous solutions and silver nitrate, with PS playing both reducing and stabilizing functions. It was shown that the content of Ag(0) particles in “pectin-Ag(0)” depended on the reaction conditions and can range from 0.1 to 72 %, the size of Ag(0) particles being 3–27 nm. Using 13C NMR technique, it was revealed that PS underwent destructive changes and they they were more considerable, more than the lot of Ag(I) that was inputed into the reactionary medium.