The reactions of OH
or SO
4- radicals with carboxymethyl chitin (CM-chitin) and its deacetylated product,carboxymethyl chitosan (CM-chitosan), were investigated in aqueous solutions using a laser photolysistechnique. The rate constants of the reactions of OH
and SO
4- radicals with CM-chitosan are alwayshigher than those for CM-chitin, indicating that the amino-group could increase the reactivity ofcarboxymethylated chitin derivatives. The rate of the reactions of CM-chitin and CM-chitosan with OH
radical was found to decrease at lower pH when polymers
chains tend to the coiled conformation. Incomparison, the rate constant of the reaction of SO
4- radicals with CM-chitin or CM-chitosan decreasedwith pH, indicating that CM-chitin or CM-chitosan has a higher reactivity with the SO
4- radical at low pHdue to the protonation of the amino group.