The Properties Of Water Flashcards
Why is it good that water has a high specific heat capacity?
Keeps habitats stable for living things as a lot of energy is needed to change it by a degree
How is water unlike other liquids when it moves?
It makes an breaks hydrogen binds
What makes it more difficult for water to become a gas?
Hydrogen bonds
Water has a low viscosity. What does this mean?
It flows easily
Due to water being a liquid at room temp what four things does this allow it to do?
Provide a habitat for living things
Form a major component of the tissues in living organisms
Provide a reaction medium for chemical reactions
Provide an effective transport medium
Because ice is less dense than water what two things does this allow it to do?
Aquatic organisms have a stable environment in which to live throughout the winter
Ponds and other bodies of water are insulated against extreme cold
The layer of ice on ponds in winter does what?
Reduces the heat loss from the rest of the pond
Because water is a good solvent it can do what two things?
Molecules and ions can move around and react together in water
Molecules and ions can be transported around living things while dissolved in water
How does water dissolve solutes?
Because water is polar. The negative parts of the water molecules attach to the positive parts of the solute. The positive parts of the water molecules attaches to the negative parts of the solutes. This keeps them away from each other eventually dissolving the solute into a solution.
What causes surface tension in water?
The water molecules are more attracted to the other water molecules below them to the air molecules above them. This causes the surface of the water to contract. Giving water the ability to resist force placed upon it.
Why does a drop of water on a smooth surface not spread out?
The hydrogen bonds between the water molecules pull them in towards each other. Usually forming a spherical shape.
Because of surface tension and cohesion water can do what?
Columns of water in plant vascular tissue are pulled up the xylem tissue together from the roots.
Insects like pond skaters can walk on water.
What is the specific heat capacity of water? And what does the specific heat capacity mean?
The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1kg of water by 1 degree Celsius. This value for water is 4.2kJ
Because of water’s high specific heat capacity, what can it allow?
Eukaryotes and prokaryotes to have a stable environment for enzymes.
Aquatic organisms to have a stable environment to live.
What is the latent heat of vaporisation?
It is the heat energy needed to break the hydrogen binds of water to allow it to evaporate.
