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Alkaline hydrolysis is not called "alkali hydrolysis", while acid hydrolysis is not called "acidic hydrolysis". Why? I am asking this question as I believe it may not be a simple naming problem. Instead, I think it may be related to some characteristics of the reactions.

Elizabeth
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1 Answers1

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What is alkaline (adjective, basic) need not to be alkali (noun, hydroxide of alkali metals). Alkali does not hydrolyze to write "alkali hydrolysis". Alkaline hydrolysis is hydrolysis in alkaline environment. We could write "hydrolysis by alkali" (or possibly less precise "alkali hydrolysis" in sense of "hydrolysis by alkali") as specific alkaline hydrolysis using a hydroxide of an alkali metal.

Acid hydrolysis is hydrolysis of an acid in sense of acid decomposition by water, e.g. less known autocatalytic hydrolysis of otherwise quite stable (gaseous at room temperature) carbonic acid $\ce{H2CO3->[H2O]CO2 + H2O}$. An acidic hydrolysis is hydrolysis in acidic environment.

Poutnik
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