Water Flashcards
what is a molecule of water’s chemical form
H2O
what does water contain
one atom of oxygen joined to two atoms of hydrogen by shared electrons
what does it mean when you say water is a polar molecule
slight negative charge on one side and a slight positive charge on the other
why do hydrogen bonds form between water molecules
the slightly negative charged oxygen atoms of water attract the slightly positive charged hydrogen atoms of other water molecules
what are the five properties of water
important metabolite
good solvent
high latent heat of vaporisation
buffer changes in temperature
very cohesive
why is water an important metabolite
it helps in metabolic reactions for example condensation reactions or hydrolysis reactions
why is water a good solvent
due to water being polar it helps it to become a solvent and dissolves useful substances
why does water having a high latent heat of vaporisation a good thing
when the hydrogen bonds break it allows the water molecules on the surface escape into the air as a gas it takes a lot of energy to to break the hydrogen bonds so lots of energy is used up when water evaporates
this is useful because it means living organisms can use water loss through evaporation to cool down without losing too much water and it helps lower the surface
how can water act as a buffer to changes in temperature
hydrogen bonds give water a high specific heat capacity it makes it a good habitat to live in because the temperature is likely to be more stable than it is on land helping organisms maintain a constant internal body temperature
why is water being cohesive a good thing
strong cohesion helps the water to flow making it a great for transporting substances
strong cohesion also means that water has a high surface tension when it comes into contact with air that is why pond skaters can walk on water
