Question

Chitin is a/an
A. Amino acid
B. Polysaccharide
C. Protein
D. Oligosaccharide

Answer 1

Hint: Chitin is a type of biomolecule. Several N-acetyl glucosamine units bond together to form the chitin. Therefore, chitin is a derivative of glucose. It is found in abundance in insects and fungi.

Complete answer: Chitin is a type of polysaccharide that has nitrogen in it. This means that it is made up of long chains of monosaccharide units. Monosaccharides are three to seven carbon chains linked together. In polysaccharides, more than 10 monomeric units are found. Chitin is a type of structural polymer. Chitin is made up of N-acetyl glucosamine units. Therefore, chitin is a heteropolysaccharide. This means that different kinds of monosaccharides are bonded together in long chains. Chitin molecule is similar to the cellulose molecule except that it has an acetyl amine group on each monomer unit that is replaced with the hydroxyl groups. This causes the increased hydrogen bonding between the adjacent units. This gives the chitin an increased strength as compared to its cellulose counterpart. Also, chitin is the second most abundant carbohydrate that is found after cellulose. Thus, based on the above information we can conclude that chitin is a polysaccharide.
Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Chitin is found in the exoskeleton of several insects. It is found in the exoskeleton of the cockroach which is one reason that makes them so abundant all over the planet. Apart from that chitin is also found in the cell wall of some fungi. Due to this reason, it is also known as fungal cellulose.