Process

Hydrolysis is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of Water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for Substitution, Elimination, and Solvation reactions in which Water is the nucleophile. 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, whereas Condensation builds up by removing Water.