In chemistry, hydration is the condition of being combined with water.
Hydration can create a hydrate from which water can be reextracted. When hydration occurs in a chemical reaction it is called a hydration reaction, in which water is permanently and chemically combined with a reactant in a way that it can no longer be reextracted.
Hydration can cause hydrolysis.
Examples of hydrate synthesis
- Hydration of a carbonyl group.