Hydrolysis

Not to be confused with Hydrogenolysis, Hydroxylation, or Water splitting.

Hydrolysis (/haɪˈdrɒlɪsɪs/; from Ancient Greek hydro- 'water' and lysis 'to unbind') is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution and elimination reactions in which water is the nucleophile.[1]

Biological hydrolysis is the cleavage of biomolecules where a water molecule is consumed to effect the separation of a larger molecule into component parts. When a carbohydrate is broken into its component sugar molecules by hydrolysis (e.g., sucrose being broken down into glucose and fructose), this is recognized as saccharification.[2]

Hydrolysis reactions can be the reverse of a condensation reaction in which two molecules join into a larger one and eject a water molecule. Thus hydrolysis adds water to break down molecules, whereas condensation joins molecules through the removal of water.[3]

  1. ^ IUPAC, Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. (the "Gold Book") (2025). Online version: (2006–) "Hydrolysis". doi:10.1351/goldbook.H02902IUPAC, Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. (the "Gold Book") (2025). Online version: (2006–) "Solvolysis". doi:10.1351/goldbook.S05762
  2. ^ "Definition of Saccharification". Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  3. ^ Steane, Richard. "Condensation and Hydrolysis". www.biotopics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
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