Chapter 3 - Water Flashcards
what is the biological
solvent/medium on Earth.
Water
How much percent do organisms yield water in their bodies
Most eukaryotic organisms
are about 70 to 75% water.
What is Astrobiology?
it is the practice of searching water on other places than Earth
Are there any places outside Earth found with water?
If yes, then how many?
To date, there has been about 4 thousand planets that had been identified outside our solar system
Are there any places where water is found inside our solar system? if yes, then label them.
liquid water on Mars
subsurface oceans on Jupiter’s moon
What are the four unique properties of water?
cohesive/adhvesive behavior
expands upon freezing
versatile solvent
ability to modulate temperature
Why does cohesion occur?
Because of hydrogen’s partial charge causing mass attraction to oxygen particles
why does adhesion occur?
because the hydrogen bonding causes it to attract and bond with other material or object
What is capilliary action?
the flow of water through narrow tubes or pathways even against the force of gravity due to its properties of cohesion and adhesion
What is surface tension? what process helps with surface tension>
because of the cohesion boding in water, it creates a strong water surface and slight resistance on the surface
explain the water’s ability to moderate/modulate temperatures
water can absorb or release a large amount of heatwith minimum interference in the temperature because water requires more energy to increase in temperature (high heat capacity)
is heat the fundamental unit of energy?
Yes
explain specific heat of a substance
it’s the amount of heat that has to be absorbed or released to raise/lower the temperature by 1 degree celsius
what is a calorie in terms of heat?
what other process of water (other than expansion upon freezing) helps stabilize its bodies such as lakes on earth?
The process of evaporative cooling, in which when enough heat is absorbed to be converted into gas, the surface of water goes cools down helping the organisms survive in water bodies.
what is the specific amount of heat needed to turn water from liquid state into gas state called?
heat of vaporization
why does water float when it freezes?
because the hydrogen bonding at freezing temperatures creates a rigid lattice crystal structure (chemically), making it less dense than water bodies
at what temperature does ice float on water
at 4 degrees
how does freezed water’s ability to stay afloat help the ecosystem?
the organisms in the water bodies are protected from dying out when temperature turns freezing
during liquid state, do hydrogen bonds create a dynamic environment by constantly changing their covalent bonds from one molecule to another?
yes, this is what creates the fluidity of water