One‐Pot Chitin Conversion to High‐Activity Antifungal N,N‐Dimethyl Chitosan Oligosaccharides

The Front Cover shows chitin-derived oligosaccharides from marine biomass as powerful antimicrobial ‘weapon’ through the ‘booster’ containing formaldehyde. one-pot reaction of chitin with formaldehyde, an inexpensive bulk chemical, methylation and reduction reagent converts to N,N-dimethyl chitosan oligosaccharide (DMCOS), dramatically boosting its ‘damage output’ against fungus. conversion within is a three-step tandem process, critical involvement adjacent hydroxyl groups. More information can be found in Research Article by J. Cheng et al.