Water (biological molecules) Flashcards
Structure of water
Strong covalent
solid- H bonds form a rigid ionic lattice
liquid- molecules have more kinetic energy-fleeting H bonds
gas- far a part, don’t interact
SHC of water
lots of energy to break H bonds
less energy left to raise temp
High SHC
Biological importance of High SHC
Constant internal body temp
large change in temp outside causes only small amount of change in body
stable environment for aquatic animals
Solvent properties of water
Tiny charges of water attract ions
reactants spread- dissolving
separate- easy to react
Biological importance of solvent properties
Easy to flow and carry substances- metabolic reactions are in solution
blood, phloem, urea, sieve plate
Density of water
Water is more dense than ice
when melted the rigid hydrogen bonds in ice collapse and cause the water molecules to come together
Biological importance of water’s density
Most living organisms have the same density are able to float
Why is it hard to swim in water
Hard to cut through the large number of molecules that are attracted to each other
many sea animals are streamlined
Cooling mechanism of the body
Liquid sweat absorbs heat energy of the body= latent heat of evaporations