Hydrolytic degradation:
The process occurs in polymers that are water sensitive active groups, especially those that take a lot of moisture. Polymers with amide, ester & acetal linkage can be easily hydrolysed in the presence of acid & alkalies when such groups are present in the chain-backbone, the hydrolysis leads to chain scission or degradation.
On the other hand when the hydrolysable groups from the side groups of the polymer chain, hydrolysis leads only to a change of functional group & not to any chain scission. An example for this type of hydrolysis is provided by poly-vinyl-prolidone.
Poly-vinyl-acetate is another well known polymer which can be hydrolysed with an alkali to give polyvinyl alcohol.
