Hydrolyzable

Hydrolyzable describes a substance or bond that can undergo hydrolysis, a chemical reaction in which water participates to cleave bonds, yielding smaller molecules. In practice, hydrolysis is often catalyzed by acids, bases, or specific enzymes and its rate depends on temperature, pH, bond type, and surrounding conditions.

Common hydrolyzable linkages include esters, amides, glycosidic bonds, phosphodiesters, and anhydrides. Hydrolysis of esters produces carboxylic acids and alcohols; amide hydrolysis yields carboxylic acids and amines or alcohols. In carbohydrates, glycosidic bonds are hydrolyzed to simple sugars. In biology, many biomolecules are hydrolyzable, such as proteins (peptide bonds), nucleic acids (phosphodiester bonds), and starch (glucosidic linkages).

Some natural products are classified as hydrolyzable or non-hydrolyzable based on their susceptibility to water-driven cleavage, exemplified by hydrolyzable tannins that break down into smaller phenolic units and sugars under acidic or enzymatic conditions.

Applications and implications: hydrolyzable materials and compounds can be engineered for controlled degradation in medical devices, packaging, or agriculture, while hydrolysis can also undermine the stability of certain drugs or polymers. The term contrasts with non-hydrolyzable substances whose bonds are resistant to cleavage by water under normal conditions, though many substances may still undergo hydrolysis under extreme environments or with catalysts.