Hydrolyserbar

Hydrolyserbar is a term used in chemistry and related disciplines to describe substances or chemical bonds that can undergo hydrolysis, the reaction with water that cleaves bonds. The concept is often invoked for esters, amides, glycosides, and peptide linkages, as well as for polymers containing hydrolysable bonds. In Swedish, hydrolyserbar translates roughly to hydrolyzable or susceptible to hydrolysis.

Hydrolysis converts a single chemical bond into two or more smaller units, typically yielding an acid and an alcohol in the case of esters, a carboxylic acid and an amine in the case of amides, or sugars and aglycones in glycosides. Proteins are cleaved at peptide bonds by proteases, and polyesters such as PET can degrade via ester hydrolysis under appropriate conditions.

Mechanisms of hydrolysis include acid-catalyzed, base-catalyzed, and enzyme-catalyzed pathways. Acidic hydrolysis accelerates the reaction by protonating reactive centers, while basic hydrolysis proceeds through nucleophilic attack by hydroxide. Enzymatic hydrolysis is carried out by hydrolases (such as proteases, lipases, and glycosidases) under physiological conditions.

Factors influencing hydrolysis rates include pH, temperature, water activity, solvent, and the presence of catalysts. Environmental and industrial relevance arises from the hydrolyserability of materials and compounds, affecting biodegradability, durability, drug activation, and waste treatment.

See also: hydrolysis, ester, amide, glycoside, peptide bond, hydrolase.