Chitin is one of the main components in the in the
cell walls of
fungi, the
exoskeleton of
insects and other
arthropods, and in some other animals. It is a
polysaccharide, made out of units of acetylglucosamine (more completely, N-acetyl-D-glucos-2-amine). These are linked together in β-1,4 fashion, the same as the
glucose units that make up
cellulose. So chitin may be thought of as cellulose, with one hydroxyl group on each monomer replaced by an acetylamino group. This allows for increased hydrogen bonding between adjacent polymers, giving the material increased strength.
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