Water Flashcards
Properties of water
Solvent properties, specific high heat capacity, high latent heat of evaporation, high surface tension and cohesion and density and freezing properties
______ bonds form between water molecules where ______ of one water molecule to the _____ of another.
Hydrogen, oxygen, hydrogen
How is water a good solvent?
As water is a polar molecule, ions and covalent lay bonded polar substances will dissolve in it allowing chemical reactions to occur within cells.
Why water has high specific heat capacity?
Due to the many hydrogen bonds present.
Advantage of water having high specific heat capacity to living organisms
Provide suitable habitats and allow for constant temperatures within bodies and cells to be maintained
Advantage to living organism of high latent heat of evaporisation
Cooling mechanism
Advantage of high surface tension and cohesion to plants
High cohesion so molecules stick to each other so water can move in long, unbroken columns through vascular tissues in plants which results in high surface tension at water surface
Examples of water as a reagent
In photosynthesis and in hydrolysis reactions
Advantage of water’s density and freezing properties
Water’s density starts to decrease below 4 degrees Celsius which prevents large bodies of water from freezing completely which increase chances of life surviving. Changes in water density with temperature cause currents
Roles of water
Habitat for organisms that live in water, cover 3/4 of Earth, forms 70-95% of cell’s mass. As well as it provides medium for molecules and ions to mix in.
