O presente trabalho estudou duas vias reacionais para a preparação de derivados cationizados de quitosana (QCat), sendo que a N-metilação extensiva via reação de quitosana com iodometano (CH3I) resultou em N,N,N-trimetilquitosana (TMQ) enquanto que a reação de quitosana com cloreto de glicidiltrimetilamônio (CGTMA) produziu N-(2-hidroxi)-propil-3-trimetilamônio quitosana (HPTAQ). Planejamento fatorial completo 23 foi aplicado para analisar os efeitos das condições reacionais sobre o rendimento das reações (R) e as características de TMQ e HPTAQ. As características estruturais da quitosana de partida e seus derivados foram analisadas por espectroscopias na região de infravermelho (FTIR) e de ressonância magnética nuclear de hidrogênio (RMN-1H), sendo que esta última também foi utilizada para determinar os graus médios de acetilação (GA), de quaternização (GQ) e de substituição (GS) de quitosana, TMQ e HPTAQ, respectivamente. Viscosimetria capilar foi utilizada para determinar a viscosidade intrínseca ([η]) de quitosana, TMQ e HPTAQ, permitindo estimar a ocorrência de despolimerização e sua relação com as condições reacionais. Todas as amostras de TMQ foram solúveis em água e o valor de GQ variou no intervalo 21,0 - 67,0%; a [η] variou entre 13,7 mL/g - 213,0 mL/g e o rendimento da reação atingiu até 82,0%, sendo que entre as variáveis analisadas a concentração de hidroxido de sódio e excesso de CH3I são as mais relevantes. Quanto às amostras de HPTAQ, apenas aquelas com GS > 12,0% foram solúveis em água,GS ficou no intervalo 1,0 % - 45,5%; [η] variou entre 283,0 mL/g - 446,0 mL/g e o rendimento não foi superior a 33,0%, e entre as variáveis analisadas, temperatura e excesso de CGTMA foram as mais importantes na produção de HPTAQ. As amostras TMQ2 GQ = 46,0%; [η] = 290,0 mL/g) e HPTAQ6 GS = 33,0%; [η] = 293,0 mL/g) foram empregadas em estudo visando a formação de complexos surfactante/polieletrólito (CSP) com decanossulfonato de sódio (DS). As propriedades condutimétricas e tensiométicas dos TMQ2, HPTAQ6 e CSP's foram estudadas e mostraram que todos apresentam atividade interfacial (γ <= 52,0 mN.m-1), além de elevado valor de módulo de elasticidade (E >= 31,0 mN.m-1), indicando que as espécies analisadas geram filmes interfaciais com boas propriedade mecânicas e por isso podem ser aplicados como agentes estabilizantes de emulsões. As emulsões do tipo óleo/água preparadas pela incorporação de QCat (TMQ ou HPTAQ) ou de CSP (TMQ/DS ou HPTAQ/DS) foram estáveis por mais de 4 meses, conforme avaliado por medidas de fluorescência e de turbidez.

In this work were studied two different methods for preparing cationized derivatives of chitosan (ChCat), a consisted extensive N-methylation by chitosan reaction with iodomethane (CH3I) resulted in N,N,N-trimethylchitosan (TMCh), and other a reaction of chitosan with chloride glycidyltrimethylammonium (GTMAC) resulted in N-(2-hydroxy)-propyl-3-trimethylammonium chitosan (HPTACh). A complete factorial design (23) was used to analyze the influence of reaction conditions on the yield of the reaction (R) as well as the characteristics of TMCh and HPTACh produced. The structure of chitosan pattern and its derivatives were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), considering that the latter was also used to determine the average degree of acetylation (DA), quaternization (DQ) and substitution (DS) of chitosan, TMCh and HPTACh, respectively. Capillary viscometry was used to determine the intrinsic viscosity ([η]) of chitosan, TMCh and HPTACh, allowing to estimate the occurrence of depolymerization and its relationship with the reaction conditions. All samples of TMCh were soluble in water and it was found that DA ranged as 21.0% - 67.0%; the [η] ranged as 13.7 mL/g - 213.0 mL/g and the yield reaction was up to 82.0%, among the variables studied, the concentration of sodium hydroxide and excess CH3I were the most relevant. The HPTACh samples were soluble in water with DS > 12.0%, DS ranged as 1.0% - 45.5%; the [η] ranged as 283.0 mL/g - 446.0 mL/g and the yield was lower than 33.0%, among the variables studied temperature and excess CGTMA were the most important in the production of HPTACh. Among the reaction conditions studied for the synthesis of TMCh the best condition was 2, while for HPTACh the best condition was 6. The samples TMCh2 DQ = 46.0%, [η] = 290.0 ml/g) and HPTACh6 DS = 33.0%, [η] = 293.0 mL/g) were used in a study aiming at the formation of surfactant/polyelectrolyte complex (SPEC) with sodium 1-decanessulfonate (SD). The conductivity and surface tension properties of TMCh2, HPTACh6 and SPEC's have been studied and show that all have interfacial activity (γ <= 52.0 mN.m-1), and high value of elasticity modulus (E >= 31.0 mN.m-1), indicating that all species generate interfacial film with good mechanical property and thus can be applied as a stabilizing agent in emulsions emulsions oil/water that were prepared by incorporating ChCat synthesized and SPEC's in their formulations, they were stable for more than 4 months, as evaluated by fluorescence and turbidity measurements.