A hydrolysis reaction results in which two of the following?
Water is split apart.
Two molecules are split apart.
Water is formed.
Two molecules are combined.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer:
- Water is split apart.
- Two molecules are split apart.
A hydrolysis reaction is a type of chemical reaction in which water is used to break bonds within a molecule. The term “hydrolysis” comes from the Greek words “hydro” (water) and “lysis” (to break apart). In this reaction, a water molecule is split into a hydrogen ion (H⁺) and a hydroxide ion (OH⁻), and these components are used to cleave a larger molecule into two smaller parts.
The key characteristic of a hydrolysis reaction is that water is split apart and its components are added to the resulting fragments. For example, in the hydrolysis of a disaccharide like sucrose (table sugar), water breaks the bond between the glucose and fructose units, producing two monosaccharide molecules. Here, the OH⁻ from the water attaches to one sugar molecule and the H⁺ to the other, effectively splitting two molecules apart using water.
Hydrolysis reactions are common in biological systems. For instance, during digestion, enzymes help hydrolyze large macromolecules like proteins, carbohydrates, and fats into their smaller building blocks: amino acids, sugars, and fatty acids, respectively. These smaller units can then be absorbed and used by cells.
The opposite of hydrolysis is dehydration synthesis (also called a condensation reaction), where two molecules are joined together and a molecule of water is removed. That’s why options like “water is formed” and “two molecules are combined” apply to dehydration synthesis, not hydrolysis.
To summarize, hydrolysis reactions are essential in breaking down complex molecules, and they involve both the splitting of water and the cleavage of one molecule into two smaller ones, making the correct choices:
- Water is split apart.
- Two molecules are split apart.
