BRAINCAKEHydrolysis of Proteins
Hydrolysis is the reverse of the condensation reaction that forms peptide links. Water breaks each peptide link, -CONH-, giving back -COOH and -NH2 groups, so a protein is broken down into its constituent amino acids.
With water alone the reaction is extremely slow, so proteins are hydrolysed by heating under reflux with concentrated hydrochloric acid (about 6 mol dm−3) for many hours. In the body, enzymes do the same job at 37 °C.
H2NCH2CONHCH(CH3)COOH + H2O → H2NCH2COOH + H2NCH(CH3)COOH
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Key terms in this lesson
- thin-layer chromatography
- A chromatography technique using a thin layer of solid, such as silica, on a plate as the stationary phase and a liquid solvent as the mobile phase.
More in Amino Acids, Proteins and DNA
- Amino Acids
- Zwitterions
- Acid-Base Properties of Amino Acids
- Peptide Links
- Primary Structure of Proteins
- Secondary Structure of Proteins
- Tertiary Structure of Proteins
- Enzymes and Stereospecific Active Sites
All 15 lessons in Amino Acids, Proteins and DNA · All AQA A-level Chemistry topics