Question

How many molecules of water are needed to completely hydrolyze a polymer that is ten monomers long?

Short answer

Nine water molecules are required to hydrolyze a ten-monomer long polymer completely.

Step-by-step solution

Meaning of hydrolysis

Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction that uses water to break down polymers into monomers. It releases energy by breaking bonds. As a result, it is the opposite of the condensation reaction, which involves releasing water during the synthesis of material.

Chemistry of hydrolysis

The polymer is broken down into two components during hydrolysis. A water molecule is added during this process, which breaks the connection between the monomers of a polymer.

During hydrolysis, the hydrogen from water connects to one monomer while the hydroxyl group attaches to the other. For example, when carbohydrates are hydrolyzed, the connection between monosaccharide units is broken, and the monosaccharide units are released.

Number of monomers required to break the polymer

One water molecule is needed to break each bond present between two adjacent monomers in a polymer during hydrolysis.

A ten-monomer long polymer comprises nine bonds because two adjacent monomers are joined through a bond. Thus, nine water molecules are required to hydrolyze ten-monomers long polymer.