Lee, Kwang-Gill;Lee, Yong-Woo;Kweon, Hae-Yong;Yeo, Joo-Hong;Park, In-Kyu;Nam, Jin;Seol, Kwang-Youl
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The chitin was isolated from various kinds of insects such as exuvia of Psacothea hilaris Pascoe, silkworm pupa, Agrius convolvuli or from cuticle of cockroach by treatment with dilute HCI and NaOH. The chemical and crystalline structure was characterized by FT-IR and X-ray diffractometer. All of the chitins extracted from insects showed characteristic ${\alpha}$-chitin peaks at the Bragg angle 2$\theta$=9.3$^{\circ}$, 19.4$^{\circ}$, and 23.5$^{\circ}$by X-ray diffraction analysis. The transition from chitin to chitosan was confirmed by IR spectra and the degree of deacetylation of the crab shell, silkworm pupa, cockroach, and Psacothea hilaris Pascoe was 70.9, 76.4, 75.5, and 74.1%, respectively. The double diffraction peaks of insect chitosan were observed at 2$\theta$=10$^{\circ}$and 20$^{\circ}$, indication the characteristic of hydrated crystalline structure of chitosan.