Question

Digestion reactions occur by means of a. dehydration synthesis. b. hydrolysis.

Short answer

Digestion reactions occur by means of hydrolysis, which is the process of breaking down large molecules into smaller ones using a water molecule. Dehydration synthesis, on the other hand, forms larger molecules by combining smaller ones. Therefore, the correct answer is b. Hydrolysis.

Step-by-step solution

Understand digestion reactions

Digestion reactions in biochemistry refer to breaking down large molecules into smaller ones. These reactions play an essential role in the body because it makes it easy for the body to absorb nutrients and get rid of unwanted waste products.

Compare dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis

Dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis are two important processes in biochemistry, but they have different functions. a. Dehydration synthesis: It is a process in which smaller molecules are combined to form larger ones. This is done by removing a water molecule between the reacting units (smaller molecules). This process creates new covalent bonds between the reacting units, resulting in a larger molecule. b. Hydrolysis: Hydrolysis, on the other hand, is the process of breaking down large molecules into smaller ones using a water molecule. The large molecule is split into two parts, and the water molecule provides an -OH group to one part and an -H group to the other. This process breaks the covalent bond between the reacting units, resulting in smaller molecules.

Identify the correct process for digestion reactions

Since digestion reactions are about breaking down large molecules into smaller ones, the process involved in these reactions is hydrolysis. Therefore, the correct answer to this exercise is: b. Hydrolysis.