Succinoylation of sago starch in the N,N-dimethylacetamide/lithium chloride system

The modification reaction of sago starch with succinic anhydride (SA) using pyridine (PY) and/or 4-dimethyaminopyridine (DMAP) as catalyst and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA)/lithium chloride (LiCl) system as solvent was studied. A series of succinylated starch derivatives were prepared with a degree of substitution (DS) ranging from 0.14 to 1.54. The structure of the resulting polymers determined by means of 13C NMR spectroscopy indicated that substitution preferably occurs at the C2 and C6 hydroxyl groups. The thermal stability of the material was decreased by chemical modification. Effects of reactant molar ratio, reaction time, and the concentrations of DMAP and LiCl on the reaction efficiency are discussed.