water- Flashcards
what is water
a major component of cells, a dipolar molecule- has a negative and positive pole. Made of 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen
what type of bond does water have
hydrogen bond between h and o
describe the structure of water
has an uneven distributed charge because of slightly negative o and slightly positive h
how many key properties does water have and what are they
5- high heat capacity, high latent heat of vapourisation, cohesion and surface tension, metabolite,
what is high specific heat capacity
WM stick together by h bonds- takes a lot of energy to seperate them- cause high bp . water has a large range of temp at which its liquid=0-100 c- excellent medium for life on earth so no denature of enzymes- acts as a buffer zone against sudden change in temp- enviro is stable
what is high latent heat of vapourisation
a lot of energy needed to convert water from liquid to gas state due to h bonds. water is a coolant, mantain temp change in organisms. humans- sweat- evaporisation of water from skin- cooling effect
what is cohesion
used to describe water mols sticking together by h bs, water has a large cohesive force- allows water to be pulled through a tube. important in xylem. effect of cohesion and adhesion means water naturally moves up a narrow tube against gravity in a motion called capillary action.
what is surface tension
means that water acts like a skin and is strong enough for smaller organisms to be supported on the water surface.
what does it mean when water is a metabolite
involved in lots of chemical reactions such as photosynthesis
explain water as a habitat
when water freezes, the solid ice it forms is less dense than the liquid water, meaning ice floats, serving as a habitat for organisms, this is due to h bonds locking water molecules in a giant arrangement.
explain the importance of water as a habitat to other organisms
water beneath ice doesn’t freeze it allows currents for nutrients such as minerals and fishes to move
