The electrical and rheological properties pertaining to the electrorheological (ER) behavior of chitosan derivatives, chitosan, chitosan ammonium salt and chitosan phosphated suspensions in silicone oil were investigated. Chitosan derivative suspensions showed a typical ER response (Bingham flow behavior) upon application of an electric field. However, chitosan phosphate suspension exhibited an excellent shear yield stress compared with chitosan and chitosan ammonium salt suspensions. The difference in behavior results from the difference in the conductivity of the disperse phases due to the difference of their polarizability. The shear stress for the chitosan, chitosan ammonium salt and chitosan phosphate suspensions exhibited a linear dependence on the volume fraction of particles and 1.18, 1.41 and 1.67 powers of the electric field. On athe basis of the experimental results, the newly synthesized chitosan dervative suspensions found to be an ER fluid.