Water Flashcards
What type of molecule is water?
Polar
What makes water a polar molecule?
Uneven distribution of charge within the molecule
What makes the charge in a water molecule an uneven distribution?
Hydrogen atoms are more positive than the oxygen atom.
What does water being a polar molecule mean for the molecule?
One end of the molecule is more positive than the other
In metabolic reactions what is water?
Metabolite
What are metabolites used in for chemical bonds?
Forming and breaking the bonds
What is water in which many metabolic reactions occur?
Solvent
What does it mean for water that it has a high specific heat capacity?
A lot of energy is required to warm water
What is a benefit of water having a high specific capacity? What does it act as? What is it called nd what does it support?
Minimising temperature fluctuations in living things therefore acting as a temperature buffer?
What does it mean that water has a relatively large/high latent het of vaporisation?
Evaporation of water provides a cooling effect with little water loss.
What does strong cohesion between molecules enables and why?
Effective transport of water in tube-like transport cells as the strong cohesion supports columns of water.
What is the result of strong cohesion?
Surface tension at the water ir boundary is high.
What is the maximum density of water at?
4 degrees.
What does it mean for the density of water?
Ice is less dense than water and floats on top creating an insulating layer.
What does the 4 degree density of water mean in terms of survival?
Increases the chance of survival of organisms in large bodies of water as it prevents them from freezing.