Chemical Induced Grafting of Indole onto Chitin & Chitosan – and their Antimicrobial Act

The graft copolymer of indole with chitin and chitosan was prepared by two techniques, chemically using potassium persulphate as an initiator. Evidence of grafting was obtained by FTIR. The effects of initiator concentration, monomer concentration and temperature on the grafting percentage were studied. The grafted samples show a higher chelation capacity towards cation ions of Cu2+ Ni2+ and Co2+. The thermogravemitric analysis of grafted samples showed an improvement in the thermal stability. The antimicrobial activity of the grafted samples was investigated using the agar-disc diffusion method and the spectroscopic method. These two methods showed different effects against a diverse range of organisms comprising some Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. The mechanism of antimicrobial activity of the grafted samples could make some of the tested micro-organisms flocculate. Also a weak antimicrobial activity was shown against the other organisms