Hidrolízise

Hidrolízise is the chemical process in which a molecule is cleaved into two parts by reaction with water. In most cases, a hydrogen atom from water attaches to one fragment and a hydroxyl group to the other. The reaction effectively adds H and OH across a bond, increasing the number of molecules.

Hydrolysis can proceed under different conditions. Acidic hydrolysis uses a proton source to activate the substrate, while basic or alkaline hydrolysis relies on hydroxide ions. Enzymatic hydrolysis is catalyzed by hydrolase enzymes and is common in biological systems. In organic chemistry, hydrolysis often refers to the cleavage of esters, amides, or glycosidic bonds, yielding carboxylic acids or their salts and alcohols or amines; in inorganic contexts, water can cleave metal–halide bonds or anhydrides.

Common examples include the hydrolysis of esters (saponification) to produce carboxylate salts and alcohols, hydrolysis of amides to carboxylates and amines, hydrolysis of glycosides to release sugars, and the hydrolysis of triglycerides to glycerol and fatty acids. In biology, hydrolysis is central to digestion and metabolism: intestinal enzymes such as amylases, proteases, and lipases catalyze the hydrolysis of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Applications and relevance include the environmental fate of hydrolyzable pesticides, degradation of polymers such as polyesters, and various food processing and analytical chemistry methods that employ hydrolysis steps to release bound components. The term derives from Greek hydro- “water” and lysis “loosen, split.”