BIOMOLECULES AND ENZYMES

Detailed explanation-1: -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 -(1→4)-linkages (like the linkages between glucose units forming cellulose).

Detailed explanation-2: -Chitin is made up of modified glucose monosaccharides. Glucose exists as a ring of carbon and oxygen molecules. Bonds between glucose molecules are known as glycosidic bonds. The oxygens that typically form hydroxyl groups bonded to the carbon ring can also form a bond with another carbon instead of a hydrogen.

Detailed explanation-3: -The main natural sources of chitin are shrimp and crab shells, which are an abundant byproduct of the food-processing industry, that provides large quantities of this biopolymer to be used in biomedical applications.

Detailed explanation-4: -Chitin is not a protein, but is similar to protein in that they are both polymers. Protein is made up of amino acids, while chitin is made up of amino sugars. So chitin wouldn’t be considered a source of protein. Still though, chitin acts somewhat similar to certain proteins.

Detailed explanation-5: -The monomers in a chitin molecule are a beta-glucose derivative with a different functional group at carbon 2. The beta linkages between monomers mean that chitin is structurally similar to cellulose.