What is dehydration synthesis?

Question

Also, what is hydrolysis. How do they both work and what do they do?

Answer 1

These two terms are opposites.

Dehydration synthesis tells you two things just from the term:
--dehydrate = take out water
--synthesis = make or build something

When two molecules are joined by taking H from one molecule (leaving an unshared electron) and by taking OH from the other molecule (leaving another unshared electron) the two affected molecules share their unshared electrons and are bonded together. The H and OH together make a molecule of water.


Hydrolysis tells you its meaning, too.
-- hydro = water
-- lysis = loosen or split
Hydrolysis means splitting apart a molecule by means of adding a molecule of water. Usually an enzyme separates a polymer (made of several building block units), leaving the two parts each with an unshared electron. A molecule of water provides the H and OH to stick on the unshared electron parts, sharing those electrons. The two parts of the original molecule stay apart because they have new partners (H and OH) sharing the electrons.

Answer 2

dehydration links molecules by taking away water, hydrolysis brakes by adding water