water

Question 1

what is a metabolic reaction

Answer 1

a chemical reaction that happens inside an organism to keep it alive

Question 2

why is water an important metabolite

Answer 2

.its involved in hydrolysis( water is needed to break a bond) and condensation reactions( release of water to make a new bond)

Question 3

why does water have a high latent heat of vaporisation

Answer 3

.it takes a lot of energy to break the H bonds between water molecules
.so lot of energy needs to be used up when water evaporates

Question 4

why is having a high latent heat of vaporisation useful?

Answer 4

when an organism sweats, evaporation helps it cools down

Question 5

what does high specific heat capacity mean

Answer 5

. it can resist changes in temperature, it takes a lot of energy to heat it up

Question 6

why does water have high specific heat capacity

Answer 6

hydrogen bonds in water can absorb a lot of energy,
this helps temperature inside organism stay stable

Question 7

why is water a good solvent

Answer 7

it is dipolar so negative and positively charged atoms can both dissolve

Question 8

what substances can water dissolve

Answer 8

.gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide
. waste such as ammonia and urea
.inorganic ions and small hydrophilic molecules such as amino acids, monosaccharides and ATP
.enzymes whose reactions take place in solution

Question 9

why is water cohesion important

Answer 9

. helps water flow when transporting substance in xylem
.high surface tension, creates habitats for insects

Question 10

explain why water is important for organisms

Answer 10

1. a metabolite allowing reactions such as hydrolysis and condensation
2. high latent heat of vaporisation, cools down organism when they sweat
   3.high specific heat capacity, stable internal temperature
   4.solvent, can dissolve other substances
   5.cohesion, helps water flow in xylem and helps insects live on water