Question

What is hydrolysis and hydration in setting of cement?

Answer 1

By the process of hydration (reaction with water) Portland cement mixed with sand, gravel and water produces the synthetic rock we call concrete. Concrete is as essential a part of the modern world as are electricity or computers.

Other pages on this web site describe how PC is made and what is in it. Here, we will discuss what happens when it is mixed with water.

Answer 2

Hydrolysis of cement:

This is a process of decomposition of the cement and splitting the bond and the addition of the cation of the hydrogen and anion of the water. When 'cement' is mixed with the water, the various chemical reactions will happen. This reaction is called hydrolysis of the cement.

Hydration of the cement:

This is the process where the cement reacts with water and hydrates. In this process the cement molecule attaches with the water molecule with the chemical bond.