Physicochemical analysis of chitin by extraction of Leucaena Leucocephala pods with HCl

The objective of this study is to characterized chitin by extraction of wild Leucaena Leucocephala pods at different aging with 6M HCl by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Leucaena Leucocephala is chosen to be used in this study because it is abundantly and can be found easily along the road as it is widely spread in Malaysia. It is also available throughout the year. Leucaena Leucocephala is not fully utilized yet and it could be a new option and new resource for chitin. Results from FTIR shows that Amide I band in Leucaena leucocephala before and after extraction does not divided into two peaks which make it appear close to a β-chitin. Beside, Amide I band of Leucaena leucocephala before and after extraction is appearing wide (U-shaped) rather than sharp. From the results obtained, the chitin from Leucaena leucocephala is determined to be in the form of β-chitin.