Which molecule is directly involved in hydrolysis to break glycosidic bonds in starch?

Which molecule is directly involved in hydrolysis to break glycosidic bonds in starch?

• A. Water
• B. Oxygen
• C. Nitrogen
• D. Helium

Answer: (A)

Hydrolysis breaks glycosidic bonds by adding water. In starch, the glucose units are held together by glycosidic linkages, and when water participates, a hydrogen from water adds to one sugar while the hydroxyl group adds to the other, cleaving the bond and forming smaller sugar units. Enzymes like amylase speed this up, but water is the molecule that directly provides the components needed to split the bond. The other substances don’t participate in this bond-breaking step—helium is inert, nitrogen isn’t the reactant supplying H and OH, and oxygen gas isn’t the reagent used in this hydrolysis.

Hydrolysis breaks glycosidic bonds by adding water. In starch, the glucose units are held together by glycosidic linkages, and when water participates, a hydrogen from water adds to one sugar while the hydroxyl group adds to the other, cleaving the bond and forming smaller sugar units. Enzymes like amylase speed this up, but water is the molecule that directly provides the components needed to split the bond. The other substances don’t participate in this bond-breaking step—helium is inert, nitrogen isn’t the reactant supplying H and OH, and oxygen gas isn’t the reagent used in this hydrolysis.