Carboxymethyl tamarind: Synthesis, characterization and its application as novel drug-delivery agent

Carboxymethylated tamarind (CMT) has been Synthesized by reacting tamarind kernel powder (TKP) with sodium salt of monochloro acetic acid (SMCA) in the presence of sodium hydroxide. This new material was characterized by a variety of materials characterization techniques, namely intrinsic viscosity measurement, FTIR spectroscopy, C-13 NMR spectra, thermal studies (TGA and DTA), static light scattering (SI-S) technique for determination of weight average molecular weight and elemental analysis (C, H, N and O). The material thus developed was studied for its suitability as a matrix for controlled drug delivery. The kinetics of Drug release was also undertaken. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.