Properties of water and their significance in life

Question 1

Name the 5 properties of water

Answer 1

• metabolite
• high latent heat of vaporisation
• high specific heat capacity
• solvent
• cohesion

Question 2

Metabolite

Answer 2

Hydrolysis and condensation reactions

Question 3

High latent heat of vaporisation

Answer 3

• take a lot of energy to break the H bonds between water molecules
• when water evaporates, this cools organisms down

Question 4

High specific heat capacity

Answer 4

• H bonds can absorb a lot of energy - it takes a lot of energy to heat water up
• this is good for maintaining a stable temperature in aquatic environments and inside cells

Question 5

Solvent

Answer 5

• water is a polar molecule which makes it a useful solvent
• and therefore a good transport medium in both plants and animals

Question 6

Cohesion - Surface tension

Answer 6

• molecules stick together because they are polar
• water travels in columns up xylem tubes
• insects can walk on the surface of water