Water Flashcards
List 9 properties of water
- Liquid medium
- Important metabolite
- High specific heat capacity
- High latent heat of vaporisation
- Cohesion of molecules
- Surface tension
- Good solvent and transport
medium - Good reaction medium
- incompressible
Why is “Liquid medium” a useful property of water?
- Provides habitats for aquatic organisms
- medium for chemical reactions
- used for transport
Why is “Important metabolite” a useful property of water?
Used in hydrolysis &
condensation reactions
Why is “High specific heat capacity” a useful property of water?
Keeps aquatic & cellular
environments stable
Why is “High latent heat of
vaporisation” a useful property of water?
Evaporation has a cooling
effect on organisms
Why is “Cohesion of molecules” a useful property of water?
Water is drawn up the xylem
Why is “Surface tension” a useful property of water?
Allows pond-skaters to walk
on the surface
Why is “Good solvent and transport medium” a useful property of water?
Dissolves ionic and polar
molecules, allowing them to
easily be transported
Why is “Good reaction medium” a useful property of water?
The cytoplasm in cells is an aqueous solution where many chemical reactions happen
Why is “Incompressible” a useful property of water?
Can prevent plants from
wilting & act as a hydrostatic skeleton for invertebrates
