water and inorganic ions Flashcards
why is a water molecule polar
oxygen has a slight negative charge and hydrogen has a slight positive charge
what forces act between water molecules
hydrogen bonds
why does water have a high specific heat capacity
hydrogen bonding between molecules are very strong and require a lot of energy to break
what is latent heat of vaportisation
the amount of energy to evaporate 1 gram of water
what is cohesion
hydrogen bonding causes water molecules to stick together
what is surface tension
when water molecules meet the air they are pulled back into the water - means the surface of water acts like a skin
why is water as a metabolite important
used in metabolic reactions such as condensation and hydrolisis reactions
break and make bonds
why is water as a solvent important
allows reactions to take place dissolved in solutions
why is water having a high specific heat capacity important
minimises temperature fluctuations - acts as a buffer to habitats and organisms
why is water having a large heat of vaporisation important
evaporation of water provides a cooling effect
why is water having strong cohesion important
enables effective transport of water in a tube eg xylem
what is the role of hydrogen ions
determines the PH of the solution
what is the role of iron ions
components of haemoglobin
what is the role of Na+ ions
involved in the co-transport of glucose
what is the role of phosphate ions
components of DNA and ATP
