Chitin is both the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature and a highly used commercial resource. Chitin and its deacetylated form chitosan are very interesting as biomaterials, and may be used for a variety of applications. However, we know surprisingly little about the fundamental properties of chitosan and chitin, specifically their potential pattern-forming abilities and aggregation behavior. Chitosan is soluble in weak acids, and can therefore be fashioned into a gel-like film. The introduction of acetic anhydride can transform chitosan into chitin through the donation of an acetyl group, and observing the morphology of this transformation in a chitosan film may reveal more information about the pattern-forming properties of this biopolymer. This project explores the process of chitosan film formation, acetic anhydride transformation, and the observation of the films using polarized light microscopy. Given their range of potential applications and their widespread presence in nature, chitin and chitosan are intriguing biomaterials that warrant further study and exploration on a fundamental level.