Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) Practice Exam

Which transformation reaction involves the attack of an electron-rich water molecule on an electron-poor organic bond of a hazardous compound?

1. Oxidation reaction

2. Reduction reaction

3. Hydrolysis reaction

4. Substitution reaction

The correct answer is: Hydrolysis reaction

The transformation reaction that involves the attack of an electron-rich water molecule on an electron-poor organic bond of a hazardous compound is hydrolysis. In this context, hydrolysis refers to a chemical reaction in which water reacts with a hazardous compound, breaking chemical bonds and usually resulting in the formation of two or more new compounds. In a hydrolysis reaction, the water molecule donates a hydroxyl group (–OH) and a hydrogen ion (H+), facilitating the breakdown of the hazardous compound. This reaction often occurs in the presence of a suitable catalyst or under certain environmental conditions, allowing for the detoxification of harmful substances by converting them into less harmful or more easily manageable products. Understanding hydrolysis is essential in environmental chemistry, particularly when dealing with the remediation of contaminated sites or the treatment of hazardous waste, as it highlights a mechanism through which pollutants can be transformed into less harmful forms. Other types of reactions, such as oxidation and reduction, involve different mechanisms focused on changes in oxidation states and do not specifically describe the interaction of water with electron-rich organic bonds in the same manner as hydrolysis. Substitution reactions involve the replacement of one functional group in a molecule with another and do not focus specifically on the role of water as a reacting agent in