Alginic acid (algine, alginate) is a viscous gum that is abundant in the cell walls of brown algae. Natural gums are polysaccharides of natural origin, capable of causing a large viscosity increase in solution, even at small concentrations. ... Orders Ascoseirales Chordariales Cutleriales Desmarestiales Dictyosiphonales Dictyotales Ectocarpales Fucales Laminariales (kelps) Scytosiphonales Scytothamnales Sphacelariales Sporochnales Syringodermatales Tilopteridales The Phaeophyta or the brown algae are a large group of multicellular, mostly marine, algae, including many notable seaweeds of northern waters. ...

Structure

Chemically, it is a linear copolymer with homopolymeric blocks of (1-4)-linked ß-D-mannuronate (M) and its C-5 epimer α-L-guluronate (G) residues, respectively, covalently linked together in different sequences or blocks. A heteropolymer, also called a copolymer, is a polymer formed when two different types of monomer are linked in the same polymer chain. ... A homopolymer is a polymer which is formed from only one type of monomer. ...

The monomers can appear in homopolymeric blocks of consecutive G-residues (G-blocks), consecutive M-residues (M-blocks), alternating M and G-residues (MG-blocks) or randomly organized blocks. The relative amount of each block type varies both with the origin of the alginate. Alternating blocks form the most flexible chains and are more soluble at lower pH than the other blocks. G-blocks form stiff chain elements, and two G-blocks of more than 6 residues each form stable cross-linked junctions with divalent cations (e.g. Ca²⁺, Ba²⁺, Sr²⁺ among others) leading to a three-dimensional gel network. At low pH, protonized alginates will form acidic gels. In these gels, it is mostly the homopolymeric blocks that form the junctions, where the stability of the gel is determined by the relative content of G-blocks. It has been suggested that Solid solubility be merged into this article or section. ... Acidity is a controversial novelette written for the popular South Asian website Chowk. ... A cation is an ion with positive charge. ... A gel (from the lat. ...

Forms

Commercial varieties of alginate are extracted from seaweed, including the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera, Ascophyllum Nodosum and various types of Laminaria. Seaweed-covered rocks in the UK Biologists, specifically marine biologists, consider seaweed to be any of a large number of marine benthic algae that are multicellular, macrothallic, and thus differentiated from most algae that tend to be microscopic in size [1]. Many phycologists prefer the term marine macroalgae over seaweeds...

Alginate absorbs water quickly, which makes it useful as an additive in dehydrated products such as slimming aids, and in the manufacture of paper and textiles. It is also used for waterproofing and fireproofing fabrics, as a gelling agent, for thickening drinks, ice cream and cosmetics, and as a detoxifier that can absorb poisonous metals from the blood. Alginate is also produced by certain bacteria, notably Azotobacter species. In dieting, a diet aid is anything that assists in weight loss. ... Piece of A4 paper Paper is a thin material produced by the amalgamation of plant fibres, which are subsequently held together without extra binder, largely by hydrogen bonds and to a large degree by fiber entanglement. ... Sunday textile market on the sidewalks of Karachi, Pakistan. ... Waterproofing is a method by which an item is made resistant to damage by water. ... Fireproofing, a passive fire protection measure, subject to bounding, refers to the act of making materials or structures more resistant to fire, or to those materials themselves. ... Gelling agents are food additives used to thicken and stabilize various foods, like jellies, desserts and candies. ... In cooking, thickening is the process of increasing the viscosity of a liquid either by reduction, or by the addition of a thickening agent, typically containing starch. ... Missing image Ice cream is often served on a stick Boxes of ice cream are often found in stores in a display freezer. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Detox, short for detoxification, in general is the removal of toxic substances from the body. ... Subgroups Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are microscopic, unicellular organisms. ... Species A. vinladii Azotobacter are usually motile, oval, or spherical bacteria, form thick-walled cysts, and may produce large quantities of capsular slime. ...

Alginate ranges from white to yellowish brown, and takes filamentous, grainy, granular, and powdered forms. It is insoluble in water and organic solvents, and dissolves slowly in basic solutions of sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide and trisodium phosphate. Water is a tasteless, odorless substance that is essential to all known forms of life and is known as the universal solvent. ... A solvent is a liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. ... A bases in chemistry is a chemical substance which has a free pair of electrons to bind a Hydrogen ion commonly referred to as a proton (IUPAC definition). ... Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda or soda ash), Na2CO3, is a sodium salt of carbonic acid. ... Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye or caustic soda, is a caustic metallic base. ... Trisodium phosphate (TSP), available at most hardware stores in white powder form, is a cleaning agent and degreaser, commonly used to prepare household surfaces for painting. ...

Uses

Purified forms of alginate are used in antacid preparations such as Gaviscon®, Bisodol®, Asilone®, and Boots Own® tablets. Alginate is used extensively as a mold-making material in dentistry, prosthetics, lifecasting, and in textiles. It is also used in the food industry, for thickening soups and jellies. Calcium alginate is used in different types of medical products, including burn dressings that promote healing and can be removed painlessly. An antacid is any substance, generally a base, which counteracts stomach acidity. ... Reckitt Benckiser plc is one of the worlds leading manufacturers of cleaning products and a member of the FTSE 100 Index of the largest companies traded on the London Stock Exchange. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Sunday textile market on the sidewalks of Karachi, Pakistan. ... The food industry is the complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population. ... Soup is a savoury liquid food that is made by combining ingredients, such as meat, vegetables and beans in stock or hot water, until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth. ... Look up jelly in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In medicine, a burn is a type of injury to the skin caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, or radiation (an example of the latter is sunburn). ...

Also, due alginate's biocompatibility and simple gelation with divalent cations, it is widely used for cell immobilization and encapsulation.

Alginic acid (alginato) is also used in culinary arts, most notably in the "Esferificación" (Sphereification) techniques of Ferrán Adriá of Barcelona's El Bulli, in which natural juices of fruits and vegetables are encapsulated in bubbles that "explode" on the tongue when consumed. This article needs to be wikified. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal Postal code 08001-08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... Ferran Adrià Acosta (born 14 May 1962 in LHospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain) is the famed head chef of El Bulli Restaurant in Roses, on the Costa Brava, Catalonia (Spain). ...

See also

• Sodium alginate

The chemical compound sodium alginate is the sodium salt of alginic acid. ...

External links

• Alginate seaweed sources
• Alginate properties