Answer – Dehydration synthesis refers to reactions in which two small molecules collectively lose a molecule of water in order for them to combine into one larger molecule.
Explanation:
The word ‘dehydration’ means a loss of water, while ‘synthesis’ points to a combination of two or more elements into a single larger item. Thus, in dehydration synthesis reactions, two smaller molecules are the reactants that combine to form a larger product. However, this combination is accompanied by a loss of water.
The loss of water takes place in two ways. In one, a hydrogen atom detaches from one molecule and combines with a hydroxyl group from the other molecule creating a separate molecule of water, while allowing the rest of the two reactant molecules to bond at the sites from which they lost the hydrogen atom and hydroxyl group respectively. The other manner in which dehydration synthesis takes place is when two hydrogen atoms from one reactant combine with one oxygen atom of the other reactant. In either case, the reactants bond covalently to produce the resulting larger molecule.
Dehydration reactions frequently combine monomers into a variety of polymers. Examples of products of such reactions include proteins and complex carbohydrates.
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