Starting from today, I would like to talk about chitosan. My talk will include some chemical terms and the famous tale about turtle shell, but I will try to keep it simple, so please bear with me.
I am sure you have heard the words “chitin” and “chitosan”. In fact, chitin and chitosan are completely different substances. They have different chemical structural formulas and different properties.
For instance, chitosan is soluble in acidic solutions (hydrochloric acid, acetic acid, sulfuric acid and lactic acid), whereas chitin is highly stable and insoluble in water, alkaline solutions and acidic solutions.
Let us look at the origins of the names “chitin” and “chitosan” next.