Hydrolysis

Hydrolysis is the opposite of condensation. This is an easy word to remember because hydro- refers to water and -lysis means to split or break. When a polymer is broken down into monomers, water must be inserted when the covalent bond between monomers is broken.

Hydrogen attaches to one monomer and the hydroxyl group attaches to the other monomer.

• Why must water be inserted when the covalent bond between two monomers is broken?
• Why is hydrolysis necessary for a starch molecule to pass from our intestine to the blood?

Properties | Movement | Life | Locomotion | Metabolism | Excretion | Reproduction | Adaptation | Ecology | Map