This paper proposes a convenient route to oxidize the -CH2-OH groups in the water-soluble pullulan, using a new catalytic polymer-supported N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) immobilized on polystyrene. The protocol involves the presence of sodium hypochlorite and sodium bromide. The conversion is possible at room temperature, atmospheric pressure, and pH = 10. The characterization of both the catalysts and oxidized pullulan was done using NMR and FTIR methods. Using polyelectrolyte titration with end-point indication by means of a particle-charge detector (PCD), we were able to assess the degree of electrokinetic charge in all oxidized samples as a consequence of the conversion of the -CH2-OH group into -COOH moieties. The possibility of recovery and recycling of the polymer-supported NHPI catalyst was tested for up to four cycles, since the morphological analyses performed on the catalysts using SEM revealed no significant changes.
Keywords: N-Hydroxyphthalimide; NHPI; oxidation; polymer-supported catalysts; pullulan.