Protolytiska

Protolytiska refers to processes or reactions that involve the transfer of a proton from one chemical species to another, a concept known in English as protolysis or protolytic. The term describes proton-transfer steps that can occur in many solvents, not only water, and are central to acid–base chemistry. In protolytic reactions, the donor species is an acid (proton donor) and the acceptor is a base (proton acceptor).

Protolysis encompasses a wide range of reactions. In aqueous solutions, many protolytic steps are described in terms of pH and acid–base equilibria, with pKa values guiding the direction and extent of proton transfer. In nonaqueous solvents, protolysis still governs proton transfers, but the strength of acids and bases is solvent-dependent. Proton transfers can proceed in a single concerted step or through multiple intermediate steps, often facilitated by hydrogen-bond networks or catalytic functional groups.

In chemistry and biochemistry, protolytic mechanisms are fundamental to catalysis and reaction design. Acid–base catalysis in enzymes, for example, relies on active-site residues that donate or accept protons to activate substrates or stabilize transition states. Protolytic steps are also involved in hydrolysis reactions, where water acts as the proton donor or acceptor, and in other transformations where proton relocation alters reactivity or bond strength.

The term protolytiska is the Swedish adjectival form corresponding to protolytic, used to describe processes that involve protolysis. In English literature, similar discussions are framed around proton transfer, Brønsted acidity, and related acid–base concepts.