How does a dehydration reaction differ from a hydrolysis reaction? Hydrolysis joins monomers into polymers, and dehydration breaks polymers into monomers. Monomers dissolve in water in hydrolysis, and water evaporates from monomers in dehydration. Dehydration creates polymers by joining monomers, and hydrolysis splits polymers into monomers. A water molecule is removed during dehydration and added in hydrolysis.
