Polyanionic characteristics of purified sulphated homofucans from brown algae

Sulphated fucans were fractionated from different brown algae using quaternary ammonium detergents. Purified fractions from different species had the same general chemical composition, that of a typical sulphated homofucans, or fucoidan. The interaction of univalent and divalent counter-ions with fucoidan was investigated by viscometry and polarimetry, and by measuring the counter-ion activites and conductance coefficients in salt-free solutions. The activity and conductance coefficients were found to be independent of the polyanion concentration and approximately the same within each family of counter-ions. This indicates that cation binding in salt-free solutions of fucoidan is purely electrostatic. The conductivity results were in good agreement with the Manning's condensation polyelectrolyte model. The density charge parameter was 2.08 and the mean length of the monomeric unit was 4.5 A. Both the reduced viscosity and the optical rotation were dependent on the valency of the counter-ions used. Coupled with the data obtained from light-scattering measurements. ( M W = 1.7 10 6 and R g = 1760 A ), our results suggest that fucoidan in aqueous solution is an extended, flexible coil.