Water and Inorganic Ions Flashcards
How is water used in organisms?
- metabolite
- solvent
- maintain temperature
Why is a high specific heat capacity a useful feature of water?
lots of energy required to change temperature
acts as a buffer to temperature change
Why is cohesion a useful feature of water molecules?
allows effective transport in the xylem
supports columns of water
Why is the polarity of water a useful feature?
it can act as a solvent, allowing gases to readily diffuse and be excreted
What reactions is water involved in?
condensation and hydrolysis
Why is a high latent heat a useful property of water?
requires heat energy to evaporate, so has cooling affect on organisms
Why are H+ ions important?
determine pH (digestion), they also are involved in mass transport of sucrose in plants, chemiosmosis in photosynthesis
Why are Fe2+ ions important?
important component in haemoglobin, which carries oxygen
Why are Na+ ions important?
involved in the co-transport of glucose and amino acids
nerve impulses
Why are PO4^3- ions important?
make up ATP, DNA and RNA
Why is the action of water as a solvent important?
as ATP/enzyme reactions happen in solution
