water Flashcards
what word would you use to describe water?
dipole
what does a dipole mean?
positively charged hydrogen end and a negative charged oxygen end
does water have an overall charge?
NO
what is water also described as?
polar
what uses does water have?
acts a transport medium for the blood plasma
what are the 6 properties of water?
high specific heat capacity, high latent heat of vaporisation, cohesion, high density, transparent, high surface tension
what high specific heat capacity mean?
large amount of energy to heat it up - therefore keeps aquatic habitats stable
what does high latent heat of vaporisation mean and why is his good?
lots of energy to change it from a liquid to a vapour therefore v important for temperature control as heat is used to vaporise sweat from the skin
what is cohesion good?
lots of hydrogen bonds form a lattice which allows columns of water to move the xylem vessels
why is high density good?
water is denser than ice therefore prevents all water from freezing so it acts an a insulator
why is transparent good?
allows light to pass through for the plants to photosynthesise
why is high surface tension good?
pond molecules produce surface tension so pond organisms can be supported
