chitin

Term: chitin

Literally meaning: “pertaining to tunic”

Origin: Anc Greek

χιτών/chiton(=tunic or gown usually worn next to the skin)

Coined/History

Chitin was first isolated from mushrooms in 1811 by plant chemist  Henry Braconnot (1781-1855) who originally termed it as “fungine”. Later on, in 1823, Augustus Odier isolated the same substance from the cuticles of beetles and named it “chitin” from Greek word chiton.

 Definition

Chitin(C₈H₁₃O₅N)_n  is a polymer (long-chain molecule) of monosaccharide N-acetylglusamine. It is found mainly as the main component of the cell wall of fungi and the exoskeletons of arthropods.  In contrast to cellulose, which is obtained from terrestrial sources, such as wood, chitin is regarded as an abundant marine biopolymer.