Out of curiosity!

[Chromeo33]

Is chitin a protein or a carbohydrate?

Chitin's chemical formula is C8H13O5N.

By my logic, it would NOT be a carbohydrate because of the nitrogen in its chemical formula, but in some texts, they refer to chitin as a polysaccharide! SO WHAT IS IT!?

That last bit leads me to another question!
As one text says chitin is a polysaccharide, does that mean that polysaccharides DO NOT NECESSARILY have to be carbohydrates?
I was in the understanding that carbohydrates had to be of the chemical form of Cx(H2yOy) ?


Go die chitin..

[Greatness]

As one text says chitin is a polysaccharide, does that mean that polysaccharides DO NOT NECESSARILY have to be carbohydrates?
I believe polysaccharides are strictly carbohydrates, and i tihnkn we learnt that chitin is a carbohydrate

[shinny]

It's classified as a polysaccharide and is made from a derivative of glucose which has had nitrogen attached to it. Nevertheless, it's still made from a backbone of glucose.

[Chromeo33]

As one text says chitin is a polysaccharide, does that mean that polysaccharides DO NOT NECESSARILY have to be carbohydrates?
I believe polysaccharides are strictly carbohydrates, and i tihnkn we learnt that chitin is a carbohydrate

But I also learnt that carbohydrates strictly consist of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen! Chitin, with its nitrogen, surely isn't a carbohydrate is it?

It's classified as a polysaccharide and is made from a derivative of glucose which has had nitrogen attached to it. Nevertheless, it's still made from a backbone of glucose.

So its sort of an exception to the rule of carbohydrates being C, H and O (because of its nitrogen addition)?
Ahh whatever, I'm sort of over it.

[shinny]

It's classified as a polysaccharide and is made from a derivative of glucose which has had nitrogen attached to it. Nevertheless, it's still made from a backbone of glucose.

So its sort of an exception to the rule of carbohydrates being C, H and O (because of its nitrogen addition)?
Ahh whatever, I'm sort of over it.

You'll get all sorts of crap like that in nature. Obviously things aren't as straight forward as generalisations such as that. For example, even a common protein like haemoglobin has iron in it; not just CHONS. You even get hybrids like glycoproteins and proteoglycans etc.

[TrueLight]

ha yeah lets just call it a 'nitrogen containing' carbohydrate.
modifications do occur like shinny pointed out^.

[Chromeo33]

It's classified as a polysaccharide and is made from a derivative of glucose which has had nitrogen attached to it. Nevertheless, it's still made from a backbone of glucose.

So its sort of an exception to the rule of carbohydrates being C, H and O (because of its nitrogen addition)?
Ahh whatever, I'm sort of over it.

You'll get all sorts of crap like that in nature. Obviously things aren't as straight forward as generalisations such as that. For example, even a common protein like haemoglobin has iron in it; not just CHONS. You even get hybrids like glycoproteins and proteoglycans etc.

Sweet! Thanks for clearing that up..
I guess it won't even matter that much in terms of exam preparation but its good discussion!