A linear polymer, chitin is the second most abundant natural polysaccharide after cellulose. It contains repeating units of acetyln-(1,4)-glucosamine. Among the organisms containing chitin are arthropods such as crabs, shrimps, and insects and fungi and bacteria.
The replacement that happens on the glucose molecule distinguishes chitin from cellulose. The glucose molecules in chitin have an amyl group, which consists of carbon and nitrogen, instead of a hydroxyl group (OH). The oxygen doubly bound to the group is electrically negative, whereas nitrogen is electrically positive. This causes the molecule to generate a dipole, which increases the number of hydrogen bonds that may form between it and the molecules around it. Because of all the weak interactions between adjacent molecules, when coupled in a matrix with other substances and other chitin molecules, the final structure can be quite difficult.
Arthropods are one of the most varied animal groupings on the planet. Arthropods are segmented invertebrates with a strong exoskeleton comprised of chitin and other proteins. In many different habitats, the combination of a protected body design with changeable portions is particularly beneficial. Arthropods may be found all over the world, from the deepest depths of the ocean to the highest reaches of the sky. Arthropods range in size from minuscule mites that dwell at the base of hairs to kilometer-long crabs and insects. Chitin and structural proteins are deposited in the exoskeletons of all of these organisms. Chitin, when combined with other proteins, makes the wings of many insects more flexible. Arthropods have evolved into millions of various shapes because to the versatility of chitin to be moulded into these varied forms.
Chitin, like cellulose, is not digestible by vertebrate creatures on their own. Symbiotic bacteria and protozoa are typically found in animals that consume insects and can break down the fibrous chitin into the glucose molecules that make it up. It is a biodegradable molecule that degrades over time and is utilised in a variety of industrial applications, including surgical thread and dye and glue binders.
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