Chitin is insoluble in most organic solvents such as water and dilute acids due to the high inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonding and this poor solubility limits the applications of chitin in different fields. On the other hand, the majority of the solvents which dissolve chitin are toxic and corrosive.

Is chitin water resistant?

Chitin develops advantages such as stable to chemical reactions, low chemical selectivity, non-toxic, biodegradable and insoluble in water [13].

Why Chitosan is not soluble in water?

Chitosan is insoluble at neutral and high pH regions due to its molecular structure and pKa (6.2–7.0) [37,38].