ABSTRACT
Chitin was originally described by Braconnot (1811), who isolated it from several mushrooms, including Agaricus volvaceous. This author demonstrated that the polysaccharide contained nitrogen and acetyl groups, and that it was distinct from cellulose; but the name Braconnot coined, fungine, was forgotten, and its present name is derived from the French chitine (χιτων, “tunic” in Greek) given by Odier (1823), who isolated the polysaccharide from the elytra of May beetles in 1823. It is important to notice that the polysaccharide from fungi and animals has no structural difference.
