Structural and Morphological Analyses of Chitin and its Complex upon Manganese Ion Adsorption

The physical characterization of extracted chitin and its resulting complex upon adsorption with Mn2+ ions was done through FT-IR and SEM-EDX analyses. Chitin was extracted from the exoskeletons of crabs using a conventional chemical method.In the FT-IR analysis, the spectrum of the extracted chitin showed a characteristic split in the amide 1 band which proved the sample to be in an alpha configuration. The spectrum of the Mn(II)-chitin complex, compared to that of the ‘free’ chitin, showed an attenuation in the O-H and N-H stretching bands which attributes to the probability of the attachment of the manganese ions in these functional groups. The EDX elemental analysis also supported the adsorption of manganese onto the chitin surface of the complex. The SEM micrographs for the ‘free’ chitin appeared to have a rough and swollen morphology but after adsorption of manganese ions, its surface became more compressed and aggregated.