Cereal Chem 41:474 - 483.  |  VIEW ARTICLE

Action of Chlorine on Semidry Starch.

T. R. Ingle and R. L. Whistler. Copyright 1964 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Wheat starch of 13.2% moisture is oxidized with chlorine gas at starch-to-chlorine molar ratios of 1:1 and 1:3 in the dark and under 500 ft.-candles of light. Aldehyde, carboxyl, and total carbonyl groups increase with the extent of oxidation. Solubility increases and viscosity decreases as a result of depolymerization, which is shown to result from oxidative as well as hydrolytic cleavage of D-glucosidic bonds. The major sugar derivative found is D-gluconic acid, but small amounts of D-glucuronic acid and D-glucosone are also produced. Fragments seem to be extensively oxidized, since the only other oxidation products observed are oxalic acid and carbon dioxide. The oxidation differs from that in an aqueous solution in that no observed cleavage occurs between carbon atoms C2 and C3.