Patent ID: 8580934

Claim:
A method of isolating chitin, chitin derivatives, and/or chitin-containing microorganisms from a sample, comprising: contacting a sample with a material having a surface that comprises silica (SiO 2 ), wherein at least part of the SiO 2 -containing material surface is covered with an acidic solution having a pH of about 2.0 to about 6.0; wherein the sample contains chitin, a chitin derivative, and/or a chitin-containing microorganism, whereby the chitin, chitin derivative, and/or chitin-containing microorganism binds to the material surface and is thereby isolated from the sample, and wherein the chitin derivative is selected from polymers of β-(1-4)-linked D-glucosamine, polymers of alkyl-substituted β-(1-4)-linked D-glucosamine, chitosan, carboxymethyl chitosan, oleoyl chitosan, hydroxypropyl chitosan, and pegylated chitosan.