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Structure of the chitin molecule, showing two of the N-acetylglucosamine units that repeat to form long chains in β-(1→4)-linkage. Haworth projection of the chitin molecule. A close-up of the wing of a leafhopper; the wing is composed of chitin.
In 1859, French physiologist Charles Marie Benjamin Rouget found that boiling chitin in potassium hydroxide solution could deacetylate it to produce a substance that was soluble in dilute organic acids, that he called chitine modifiée. In 1894, German chemist Felix Hoppe-Seyler named the substance chitosan. From 1894 to 1930 there was a period ...
Chemically, chitin is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine, which is a derivative of glucose. The polymer bonds between the glucose units are β(1→4) links, the same as in cellulose. In its unmodified form, chitin is translucent, pliable, resilient and tough.
This layered structure is called peptidoglycan (formerly called murein). GlcNAc is the monomeric unit of the polymer chitin, which forms the exoskeletons of arthropods like insects and crustaceans. It is the main component of the radulas of mollusks, the beaks of cephalopods, and a major component of the cell walls of most fungi.
Glucosamine is part of the structure of two polysaccharides, chitosan and chitin. Glucosamine is one of the most abundant monosaccharides. [2] Produced commercially by the hydrolysis of shellfish exoskeletons or, less commonly, by fermentation of a grain such as corn or wheat, glucosamine has many names depending on country. [3]
Chemical structure of chitin chains. Chitin is the world's second most abundant natural polymer, with collagen being the first. It is a "linear polysaccharide of β-(1-4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose". [10] Chitin is highly crystalline and is usually composed of chains organized in a β sheet.
Like cellulose, chitin is an abundant biopolymer that is relatively resistant to degradation. [17] Many mammals can digest chitin and the specific chitinase levels in vertebrate species are adapted to their feeding behaviours. [18] Certain fish are able to digest chitin. [19] Chitinases have been isolated from the stomachs of mammals, including ...
Unlike chitin extracted from crustaceans, for example, this chitin contains no heavy metals. A study revealed that the complex exhibits traces of α-chitin in the molecular structure via x-ray diffraction. The similarities in structure and physical properties suggest that the complex is a suitable alternative to crustacean-based chitin as fungi ...