What is Chitin?
Chitin, pronounced KITE-IN, was first isolated in 1811 by Henry Braconnot and along with Cellulose and Starch, it is one of the most abundant polysaccharides in nature. It is found naturally in the shells of crustaceans, insect exoskeletons, fungal cell walls, microfauna and plankton. It is found in association with proteins and minerals such as Calcium Carbonate and it is estimated that approximately ten gigatonnes of chitin are synthesised and degraded each year in the biosphere.
Chitin is a long-chain polysaccharide that serves as an armor or cell wall for fungi and arthropods, including all crustaceans and insects. Less famously, chitin is used for the radula (teeth) of mollusks, and the beak of cephalopods such as squid and octopi. Chitin is a stronger version of keratin, fibrous structural proteins used by reptiles, birds, amphibians and mammals. In some animals such as crustaceans, the shell may be a combination of chitin and keratin. The molecular formula of chitin is (C8H13O5N)n. Chitin got its evolutionary start approximately one billion years ago, when the first unicellular fungi diverged from other unicellular organisms which went on to become the animals. This adaptive strategy made fungi among the most rigid of the early eukaryotes, but also the best protected. Fungi went on to take up a niche as decomposers, and at one point, after the End-Permian mass extinction, were the dominant form of life on Earth. Most people aren’t aware that fungi are actu
Chitin is a polymer that can be found in anything from the shells of beetles to webs of spiders. It is present all around us, in plant and animal creatures. It is sometimes considered to be a spinoff of cellulose, because the two are very molecularly similar. Cellulose contains a hydroxy group, and chitin contains acetamide. Chitin is unusual because it is a “natural polymer,” or a combination of elements that exists naturally on earth. Usually, polymers are man-made. Crabs, beetles, worms and mushrooms contain large amount of chitin. Chitin is a very adaptive material for a creature. Insects and animals with chitin coats usually shed these coats, or molt, at least once a year. Chitin is a very firm material, and it help protect an insect against harm and pressure. Depending on its thickness, chitin can be rigid or yielding. Often, insect coats contain thick, stiff layers of chitin. The areas around legs and face contain very thin, pliable layers.
