
Chitin - Wikipedia
Chitin is a modified polysaccharide that contains nitrogen; it is synthesized from units of N -acetyl- D -glucosamine (to be precise, 2- (acetylamino)-2-deoxy- D -glucose). These units form covalent β- …
Chitin | Insects, Arthropods, Exoskeleton | Britannica
Chitin, white, horny substance found in the outer skeleton of insects, crabs, and lobsters and in the internal structures of other invertebrates. It is a polysaccharide consisting of units of the amino sugar …
What Is Chitin? Definition and Uses - ThoughtCo
Nov 14, 2019 · Chitin is a structural component of arthropod exoskeletons, fungi cell walls, mollusk shells, and fish scales. While humans don't produce chitin, it has uses in medicine and as a …
What Is Chitin? Its Sources and Applications - ScienceInsights
Nov 10, 2025 · Chitin is one of the most abundant and widespread organic materials produced by living organisms on Earth. This natural polymer is fundamental to the structural integrity of countless …
Chitin - Definition, Function, Structure and Examples | Biology Dictionary
Apr 27, 2017 · Chitin is a large, structural polysaccharide made from chains of modified glucose. Chitin is found in the exoskeletons of insects, the cell walls of fungi, and certain hard structures in …
Where Is Chitin Found in Nature and Industry? - Biology Insights
6 days ago · Chitin is the second most abundant natural polymer on Earth, surpassed only by cellulose, and is a foundational structural molecule across various life forms. Chemically, it is a long-chain …
Chitin: Structure, Chemistry and Biology - PubMed
Chitin is a linear polysaccharide of the amino sugar N-acetyl glucosamine. It is present in the extracellular matrix of a variety of invertebrates including sponges, molluscs, nematodes and …
What is Chitin? (with pictures) - AllTheScience
May 21, 2024 · 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, it is used for the radula (teeth) of …
Chitin: a comparison between its main sources - Frontiers
Mar 4, 2025 · Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide on Earth, after cellulose, and it is mainly obtained from the shells of crustaceans. While chitin is currently derived from shrimp shells, …
Chitin is a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine (Figure 2). Chitin differs from cellulose in that the glucose monomer also contains an amide group. This gives chitin or the depolymerized form (chitosan) some …