Henri Braconnot

views updated

Henri Braconnot

1780-1855

French botanist Henri Braconnot is credited as the first person to isolate and identify chitin, a substance commonly found in the exoskeletal shells of invertebrates, which he located in the cell walls of fungi. Additionally, his experiments using plant and animal components lead him to discover other common biological molecules and substances such as glycine, leucine, and nitrocellulose.