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Chitin
Cai Jones and Jack Booth
Chitin is the most important biopolymer in nature. It is mainly produced by fungi, arthropods and nematodes. It is the second most common polysaccharide, second only to cellulose. It is the one of the few carbohydrates which contain nitrogen atoms.
Structure
Chitin is a polysaccharide composed of beta glucose molecules joined by a 1,4 glycosidic bond however there are also acetylamine groups bonded to the carbon 2 atom of the beta glucose monosaccharide creating a monomer that looks like this.
Function in fungi
In fungi, chitin strengthens and thus creates rigid cell walls to help the fungi maintain it's shape and push through multiple layers of leaf litter as they grow. This is due to chitin's strength.
Function in animals
Chitin is most commonly found in arthropods in the form of a tough, segmented body plan and a hard exoskeleton. This body plan is extremely effective in many different ecosystems. The hard exoskeleton enables arthropods to live anywhere from the deepest parts of the ocean to the highest places organisms can inhabit. Fly wings are also made from chitin with other proteins making the material more flexible.
Properties of chitin
Chitin has many properties such as being:
- Tough
- Waterproof
- Light
- Biodegradable
- Translucent
- Pliable
Chitin chains
Why these properties?
Most of chitin's properties can be attributed to how the polysaccharide is found as straight lines which are parallel to each other allowing cross links to form. They are then bundled together to create an even stronger microfibril. Chitin is stronger than cellulose as the acetylamine groups on each beta glucose allow more hydrogen bonds between chitin polymers.
Cross links