How does hydrolysis work

Learning Objectives Explain hydrolysis reactions. Key Points Hydrolysis reactions use water to breakdown polymers into monomers and is the opposite of dehydration synthesis, which forms water when synthesizing a polymer from monomers. Hydrolysis reactions break bonds and release energy. Biological macromolecules are ingested and hydrolyzed in the digestive tract to form smaller molecules that can be absorbed by cells and then further broken down to release energy.

Key Terms enzyme : a globular protein that catalyses a biological chemical reaction hydrolysis : A chemical process of decomposition involving the splitting of a bond by the addition of water. One glucose gets a hydroxyl group at the site of the former covalent bond, the other glucose gets a hydrogen atom. This is the reverse of the dehydration synthesis reaction joining these two monomers. One amino acid gets an oxygen atom and a negative charge, the other amino acid gets two hydrogen atoms and a positive charge.

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View Article Sources. Cite this Article Format. Phillips, Theresa. An Explanation of the Process of Hydrolysis. What Is a Peptide? Definition and Examples. Sulfuric Acid and Sugar Demonstration. Biological Polymers: Proteins, Carbohydrates, Lipids.

Anabolism and Catabolism Definition and Examples. Examples of Chemical Reactions in Everyday Life. Therefore, proteins that do not fit into the crevice will not be hydrolyzed. This specificity preserves the integrity of other proteins such as hormones, and therefore the biological system continues to function normally. Freifelder, David Molecular Biology, 2nd edition. Boston: Jones and Bartlett.

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