03093nas a2200301   4500008004100000022001400041245012800055210006900183260009900252300001200351490000800363520198800371653002802359653001302387653002002400653001502420653003402435100002002469700002202489700002302511700002002534700002402554700002002578700002202598700001802620700002302638856013002661       2016                        eng d  a0144-861700aProton play in the formation of low molecular weight chitosan (LWCS) by hydrolyzing chitosan with a carbon based solid acid0 aProton play in the formation of low molecular weight chitosan LW  aTHE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE, KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, OXON, ENGLANDbELSEVIER SCI LTDcOCT  a417-4250 v1513 a<p>Low molecular weight chitosan (LWCS) constitute a special class of value added chemicals that are primarily obtained from crustacean shells, which are the main water pollutants from crabs and shrimp processing centers. Unlike chitin and chitosan, LWCS possess improved solubility in water and aqueous solutions, making them widely applicable in numerous fields ranging from drug delivery to waste water treatment. Among the methods employed for their production, chemical breakdown by strong liquid acids has yielded good success. However, this method is met with severe concerns arising from the harsh nature of liquid acids, which may corrode the reactors for commercial synthesis, and their limited reusability. The physical methods like ultrasound and microwave are energy intensive in nature, while the enzymatic methods are expensive and offers limited scope for reuse. We have attempted to overcome these problems by employing carbon based solid acid (CSA) for hydrolyzing chitosan to LWCS. CSA can be easily produced using activated carbon, a cost-effective and easily available raw material. Reactions were carried out between chitosan and CSA in a hydrothermal glass reactor and the products, separated by cold centrifugation, were purified and dried. The dried products were characterized for their molecular weight and solubility. Results indicated more than ten-fold decrease in the molecular weight of chitosan and the product exhibited water solubility. The CSA could be used upto four times, without regeneration, to give a consistent quality product. The aqueous solution of resulting LWCS exhibited a pH of 6.03 +/- 0.11, as against the acidic pH range of solutions of commercially available LWCS, indicating its suitability for biomedical applications. Our investigation facilitates a `green approach' that may be employed for commercial production of value added chemicals from waste products of marine industry. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</p>10aCarbon based solid acid10aChitosan10agreen synthesis10aHydrolysis10aLow molecular weight chitosan1 aKrishnan, Akhil1 aDeshmukh, Pranjal1 aAgarwal, Siddharth1 aPurohit, Poorvi1 aDhoble, Deepa, Arun1 aWaske, Prashant1 aKhandekar, Dileep1 aJain, Ratnesh1 aDandekar, Prajakta  uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/proton-play-formation-low-molecular-weight-chitosan-lwcs-hydrolyzing-chitosan-carbon-based03071nas a2200169   4500008004100000245013300041210006900174260000800243300001400251490000600265520242800271100001902699700001902718700002302737700001802760856012302778       2017                        eng d00aMicroreactor-based continuous process for controlled synthesis of poly-methyl-methacrylate-methacrylic acid (PMMA) nanoparticles0 aMicroreactorbased continuous process for controlled synthesis of  cAPR  a3404-34170 v53 aWe have developed a microreactor-based continuous process for synthesizing PMMA nanoparticles (NPs), based on the principle of nanoprecipitation. Our objective was to identify the critical parameters governing the size of nanoparticles, produced in microreactors, to enable reproducible synthesis of mono-disperse particles. Experiments were carried out in a microreactor, where parameters like flow rates of aqueous and organic phases, residence time and polymer concentrations were varied to examine their influence on particle size and homogeneity. The results from Dynamic Light Scattering confirmed that the particle size decreased with decreasing residence time, whereas when the aqueous to organic phase flow rate ratio was changed sequentially from 9 : 1, 4 : 1, 7 : 3, 3 : 2, to 1 : 1 (v/v), the particle size increased. Particles fabricated using a microreactor demonstrated a narrow and homogenous distribution, thus confirming their monodispersity. TEM, SEM and XRD were also performed for morphology analysis and phase identification of the particles. Further, paclitaxel encapsulated PMMA nanoparticles were prepared using the microreactor, demonstrating an increase in mean size of around 30 nm and a slightly higher polydispersity index compared to the blank nanoparticles. The drug encapsulation efficiency and drug release kinetics of these nanoparticles were comparable to those prepared in batch-experiments, thus establishing the suitability of the technology for preparing drug-loaded nanoparticles. Also, it was observed that at all the residence times (10 min to 10 s), about 80% of the polymer got transformed into nanoparticulate form, thus confirming the efficiency of the microreactor. In recent times, much work has been conducted to synthesize polymeric nanoparticles using different types of microreactors, but they lack detailed investigation of the effect of various parameters on the physiochemical properties of the resulting particles. Our investigation synthesizes PMMA NPs, using microreactor technology, for the very first time, to the best of our knowledge. Furthermore, we have performed a detailed analysis of the influence of various process parameters on the size and uniformity of the resulting nanoparticles. These critical parameters can serve as a useful tool to synthesize a myriad of nanoparticles of alternative polymers, using microreactor technology.1 aDobhal, Anurag1 aKulkarni, Amol1 aDandekar, Prajakta1 aJain, Ratnesh  uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/microreactor-based-continuous-process-controlled-synthesis-poly-methyl-methacrylate