Water Flashcards

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1
Q

Define polar molecules

A

Molecules with charged regions

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2
Q

Define dipolar molecules

A

Molecules with two separate charges regions (e.g. water)

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3
Q

Why is water a dipole?

A

because oxygen has a greater electronegativity than hydrogen so the electrons are drawn away from the hydrogens slightly, causing each water molecule to have slightly positive and slightly negative regions

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4
Q

What is électronégatives

A

The pull of an atom of the shared pairs of electrons which form the covalent bonds

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5
Q

Describe cohension

A

The negative and positives parts of water molecules attract each other, forming hydrogen bonds between them

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6
Q

Why is water liquid at RT

A
  • most compound with molecules as small as water are gases at RT
  • water is liquid because of the hydrogen bonding
  • one water molecule can form hydrogen bonds with up to four other water molecules
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7
Q

Describe water as the universal solvent

A
  • polar and ionic substances -> have an electrostatic charge; are attracted to charges on water molecules; they dissolve (hydrophilic)
  • non-polar substances -> have no electrostatic charge; do not dissolve, hydrophobic
  • when a salt (ionic compound) dissolves in water, the ions separate and layers of water molecules form around them, preventing them from clumping back together; they stay in solution
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8
Q

List some hydrophilic substances

A
  • gases (CO2, O2)
  • waste products (ammonia)
  • amino acids
  • monosaccharides
  • ATP
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9
Q

Describe how water forms a ‘skin’

A
  • water molecules have a much stronger attraction to other water molecules than they do to molecules in the air
  • water forms hydrogen bonds with others surrounding it, but not with air at air-water interfaces
  • surface tension -> caused by the unequal distribution of hydrogen bonds -> causes water surface to contract and form a ‘skin’
  • water has a greater surface tension than most liquids
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10
Q

What is surface tension

A

A measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break a liquid surface

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11
Q

Describe how ice floats

A
  • water is most dense at 4°C; temperature at the bottom of large bodies of water remain fairly constant at 4°C, even if the surface does not
  • in liquid water, the hydrogen bonds are constantly forming and reforming
  • when water freezes, each molecule forms 4 bonds with other molecules, forming a rigid lattice where the molecules are further apart; water expands when it freezes
  • ice is less dense than liquid water; it floats
  • the many hydrogen bonds make ice strong
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12
Q

What is adhesion

A

The attraction between molecules of water and molecules of different substances caused by water molecules forming hydrogen bonding with other polar molecules

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13
Q

How does adhesion allow capillarity

A

Molecules of water can enter and move along very narrow spaces

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14
Q

Describe the specific heat capacity of water

A
  • cohesive properties of water means it has a much higher BP than expected (because of the very high volume of hydrogen bonds)
  • lots of heat energy is need to raise its temperature; lots of heat energy must be lost to lower its temperature
  • water is resistant to temperature changes
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15
Q

Describe the latent heat of vaporisation of water

A
  • water has a high latent heat of vaporisation

* when water evaporates from a surface, it draws heat energy out of the material underneath, creating a cooling effect

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16
Q

Define latent heat of vaporisation

A

The amount of energy needed to evaporate 1g of substance

17
Q

Describe the latent heat of fusion of water

A

At 0°C, water must lose a lot of heat energy before it forms ice crystals

18
Q

Describe water’s role in metabolism

A
  • used in hydrolysis reactions to break down polymers
  • most chemical reactions take place in aqueous solutions
  • reactant in photosynthesis
19
Q

Other important properties of water

A
  • cools organisms
  • allows organisms to control their temperature
  • difficult to compress; provides support
  • transparent to sunlight; allows photosynthesis to occur in aquatic plants
  • relatively high density compared to air
  • conducts electricity due to dissolved ions (pure water is a poor conductor)
20
Q

Significance of water being liquid at room temperature

A

Provides a liquid environment inside cells and aquatic environments for organisms to live in

21
Q

Significance of water being the universal solvent

A

Chemical reactions inside cells occur in aqueous solutions; water is the main transport medium in organisms

22
Q

Significance of water’s high surface tension

A

Forms a surface film at an air-water interface; allows some aquatic organisms to land on the surface of a pond, move over it and detect vibrations from moving prey (pond skaters)

23
Q

Significance of ice floating

A

Ice forms of the surface of a body of water and insulates the water below; allows aquatic life to survive

24
Q

Significance of water’s adhesive properties

A

Along with low viscosity it allows capillarity (e.g. water can move up through narrow channels in soil, against gravity)

25
Q

Significance of water’s high SHC

A

Environment inside organisms is resistant to temperature changes; aquatic environments have relatively stable temperatures

26
Q

Significance of water’s high latent heat of vaporisation

A

Cooling mechanism (e.g. sweating, transpiration)

27
Q

Significance of water’s latent heat of fusion

A

Cell contents and aquatic habitats are slow to freeze in cold weather

28
Q

Significance of water being denser than air

A

Water can support extremely large aquatic organisms; supports are dispersées reproductive structures (e.g. larvae)

29
Q

Significance of water being difficult to compress

A

Important structural agent, forms hydrostatic skeleton in worms and turgid plants

30
Q

Significance of water having a low viscosity

A

Flows freely, molecules can slide easily over each other; can flow through narrow vessels, watery solutions can act as a lubricant (e.g. mucus in the œsophagus)

31
Q

Significance of water having a high tensile strength

A

Water columns do not break or pull apart easily; continuous columns of water can be pulled all the way up to the top of a tree in xylem vessels during transpiration

32
Q

Significance of water as a metabolite

A

Raw material for photosynthesis, digestive hydrolysis reactions; most organic molecules occur in a hydrated form in cells- if water is removed, their chemical and physical properties are affected

33
Q

Additional biological significances of water

A
  • provides a medium through which sperm can swim during fertilisation
  • necessary for the germination of seeds
  • major role in the regulation of pH