Water

Question 1

Properties of water -5

Answer 1

• is a metabolite in many metabolic reactions, including condensation and hydrolysis reactions

•	is an important solvent in which metabolic reactions occur

•	has a relatively high heat capacity, buffering changes in temperature

•	has a relatively large latent heat of vaporisation, providing a cooling effect with little loss of water through evaporation

•	has strong cohesion between water molecules; this supports columns of water in the tube-like transport cells of plants and produces surface tension where water meets air.