eng Science and Education Publishing World Journal of Chemical Education 2375-1657 2023-10-17 11 4 127 133 10.12691/wjce-11-4-1 WJCE20231141 article Naoki Maruyama 1 Toratane Munegumi tmunegumi@naruto-u.ac.jp 1 The Joint Graduate School (Ph.D. Program) in Science of School Education, Hyogo University of Teacher Education, Cicada shells are widely available and have been used to teach insect anatomy; their tactile nature is ideal for students who are reluctant to handle living insects. The main component of cicada shells is chitin, which has a polymer structure of N-acetylglucosamine that produces an amorphous gel in neutral aqueous solutions. Glucosamine has a reducing group (hemiacetal structure) and an amino group, and these functional groups can be detected with Benedict reagent and ninhydrin, respectively. This research proposes a procedure to detect the glucosamine structural features present in cicada shells and highlights the link between chemicals in the cicada shells and the environment. Cicada shells can thus be useful for teaching classes about chemicals and their role in the environment. http://pubs.sciepub.com/wjce/11/4/1/wjce-11-4-1.pdf cicada shells chitin glucosamine educational materials environmental cycles