hydrolyze
Hydrolyze is a verb describing a chemical process in which a molecule is cleaved into two parts by reaction with water. The corresponding noun hydrolysis refers to the reaction itself. In chemistry, hydrolysis often involves breaking esters, amides, anhydrides, or ethers, with water acting as a nucleophile. In biochemistry, hydrolysis is a common reaction catalyzed by hydrolase enzymes, including proteases, lipases, amylases, and nucleases.
Mechanism and scope: Water donates a proton or acts as a nucleophile; reactions are typically accelerated by
Examples: Ester hydrolysis produces a carboxylic acid and an alcohol; amide hydrolysis produces a carboxylic acid
Applications and significance: Hydrolysis reactions are essential for digestion and metabolism, polymer degradation and recycling, and