Definition
hydrolysis: A chemical reaction of acompound with water. For instance,salts of weak acids or bases hydrolysein aqueous solution, as inNa
+CH3COO
- + H
2O ?Na
+ + OH
- +CH
3COOHThe reverse reaction of esterificationis another example.
Agricultural Uses
In hydrolysis, a substance reacts with water, gets ionized and broken down into two or more new substances.
Although 'hydrolysis' means decomposition by water, cases in which water alone brings about effective and unaided hydrolysis are rare. High temperatures and pressures are needed to bring about hydrolysis.
Some examples of hydrolysis are as follows:
(i) Inversion of sucrose. Acids catalyze this type of hydrolysis.
(ii) Alkaline hydrolysis of ester produces alcohol and salt of carboxylic acid.
(iii) In the acid hydrolysis of proteins the long chains are first broken into peptides which are further hydrolyzed to produce amino acids.
Through hydrolysis, a wide range of silicate minerals (including feldspars and micas) are broken down as
The released potassium is soluble and is taken up by the plants, or leached out or adsorbed by soil colloids; aluminum and silicon may recrystallize into clay, remain in the soil as oxides or may be leached. Free movement of underground water provides the best environment for hydrolysis.
