Question

Explain how dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis reactions occur in carbohydrates and triglycerides

Answer 1

DEHYDRATION SYNTHESIS :
-In dehydration synthesis, monomers combine with each other via covalent bonds to form polymers.
-In doing so, monomers release water molecules as byproducts.
-This type of reaction is known as dehydration synthesis, which means “to put together while losing water. ”
-In the dehydration synthesis reaction between two molecules of glucose, a hydroxyl group from the first glucose is combined with a hydrogen from the second glucose, creating a covalent bond that links the two monomeric sugars (monosaccharides) together to form the dissacharide maltose.
-In the process, a water molecule is formed.
-Glucose monomers are the constituents of starch, glycogen, and cellulose. These three are polysaccharides, classified as carbohydrates, that have formed as a result of multiple dehydration synthesis reactions between glucose monomers.

HYDROLYSIS :
-Polymers are broken down into monomers in a process known as hydrolysis, which means “to split water,” a reaction in which a water molecule is used during the breakdown
-In our bodies, food is first hydrolyzed, or broken down, into smaller molecules by catalytic enzymes in the digestive tract.
-This allows for easy absorption of nutrients by cells in the intestine.
-Each macromolecule is broken down by a specific enzyme.
-For instance, carbohydrates are broken down by amylase, sucrase, lactase, or maltase. -Fats/Lipids are broken down by lipases.
-Once the smaller metabolites that result from these hydrolytic enzymezes are absorbed by cells in the body, they are further broken down by other enzymes.
-The breakdown of these macromolecules is an overall energy-releasing process and provides energy for cellular activities.