Hydrolysis is the breakdown of a chemical compound by reaction with water. There are different types of hydrolysis including hydrolysis of esters, which occurs when esters react with water or dilute acids. Base hydrolysis involves the use of bases like sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide in the reaction, and is important in the production of soap. Acid hydrolysis uses protic acids as catalysts to motivate chemical bond cleavage via nucleophilic substitution, adding the elements of water.