Polysaccharides break apart by the process of hydrolysis and need _________ for this process.
Can you please help me fill in the blank.
Polysaccharides break apart by the process of hydrolysis and need water molecules for this process.
To understand why water is needed for hydrolysis, we first need to know what hydrolysis is. Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which a compound is broken down into smaller subunits by the addition of water molecules. In the case of polysaccharides, hydrolysis breaks the glycosidic bonds between the sugar subunits, resulting in the formation of individual monosaccharide molecules.
When water is added to the polysaccharide, it acts as a reactant and gets broken down into its components: hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxide ions (OH-). The hydroxide ion (OH-) reacts with the glycosidic bond, causing it to break, while the hydrogen ion (H+) attaches to one of the resulting subunits. This process repeats along the polysaccharide chain, ultimately leading to the complete breakdown of the polymer into individual monosaccharides.
So, in summary, water actively participates in hydrolysis by providing the necessary components for breaking the bonds, making it essential for the process to occur.