Lithium chloride is an inorganic salt compound composed of lithium and chlorine with the chemical formula LiCl, commonly used as a desiccant, flux, and reagent in various chemical and biological applications. Research published in New Developments in Chemistry examines lithium chloride's role in the processing and s…
Lithium chloride is an inorganic salt compound composed of lithium and chlorine with the chemical formula LiCl, commonly used as a desiccant, flux, and reagent in various chemical and biological applications. Research published in New Developments in Chemistry examines lithium chloride's role in the processing and study of chitin and chitosan, biopolymers derived from crustacean shells and fungal cell walls. Specifically, the journal has documented how lithium chloride serves as a solvent system component for dissolving chitin, enabling researchers to extract and modify this otherwise intractable polymer for biomedical and environmental applications. This dissolution capability is critical because chitin's crystalline structure and strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding make it insoluble in water and most common organic solvents. By facilitating chitin solubilization, lithium chloride enables the production of chitosan derivatives with antimicrobial properties, wound-healing capabilities, and potential uses in drug delivery systems and water treatment technologies. The compound's utility in chitin chemistry represents an important intersection of inorganic salt chemistry and biopolymer science, supporting the development of sustainable materials from abundant natural sources while addressing practical challenges in pharmaceutical, agricultural, and environmental sectors.
1 peer-reviewed article, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 1 article above has been cited 88 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Lithium Chloride, linking to each citing work.