ABSTRACT
Both light scattering techniques are well-established methods in the field of synthetic polymers and in colloid science, but are less applied to polysaccharides, probably because of the complexity in behavior of these materials. To tackle this complexity a comprehensive knowledge of normal linear chain behavior in dilute solution is required, which can also be observed with some polysaccharides if a special treatment in preparing the solution is carefully applied. Sometimes strongly polydisperse samples have to be separated into a number of fractions of lower polydispersity before a consistent interpretation can be made. Preparative fractionation is cumbersome and often not satisfying. However, analytical results from fractions can be obtained from size exclusion chromatography (SEC) if combined with a multiangle light scattering and a viscosity detector. In fact, this now well-developed technique represents a very efficient third method of light scattering. In the near future it will probably become a main equipment for analytic characterization. All three techniques will be discussed. The combination of all three techniques is needed for a comprehensive analysis of complex materials.
