Water

• What are the main functions of water?

  Water is a Reactant

  Water is a universal solvent

  Water is a transport medium

  Water helps with temperature control

  Water can act as a habitat
• Why is a molecule of water described as polar?

  Water is described as a polar molecule because the shared negative hydrogen electrons are pulled towards the oxygen atom, the other side of each hydrogen atom is left with a slight positive charge. The unshared negative electrons on the oxygen atom give it a slight negative charge.
• What is hydrogen bonding, in water?

  The slightly negatively charged oxygen atoms attract the slightly positively charged hydrogen atoms of the other water molecules.
• Why is the hydrogen bond in water important?

  It causes water molecules to be cohesive and have a high boiling point.
• Why does water have a high specific heat capacity?

  Hydrogen bonds in water can absorb lots of energy. This results in the fact that water doesnt experience rapid temperature changes, making water a good habitat.
• Why is the temperature under water going to be more stable than it is on land?

  Water has a higher specific heat capacity than land, meaning it can absorb and retain more heat energy, resulting in more stable temperatures.
• Why does water have a high latent heat of evaporation?

  The hydrogen bonds require lots of energy to break them
• In mammals, why is the high latent heat of evaporation in water so important?

  It helps the organism to thermoregulate. The sweat produced can take excess heat away from vital organs, evaporating at the surface which cools the surface of the skin.
• What is cohesion?

  Cohesion is the attraction between molecules of the same type.
• Why is water cohesive?

  Due to the hydrogen bonds between the molecules
• Why is the cohesiveness of water important?

  It helps water flow, making it good for transporting substances.
• What are examples of where the cohesiveness of water is important?

  The transpiration stream in water

  The blood in mammals
• Why is the low density of ice important?

  Ice can float on water because the water molecules are held further apart in ice. Due to each water molecule forming four hydrogen bonds to other water molecules, it forms a lattice shapes.
• Why is the low density of ice important for animals?

  In cold temperatures, ice forms an insulating layer on top of water. This means that the water beneath the ice will not freeze, so organisms can live in water and not freeze.
• The main functions of water as a transport medium are to dissolve and carry nutrients, minerals, and waste products throughout the body, and to regulate body temperature through sweating and evaporation.
• Water acts as a universal solvent because its polar nature allows it to dissolve a wide variety of solutes, including both polar and ionic compounds.
• Water can act as a reactant in various chemical reactions, such as hydrolysis and condensation, where it is broken down or formed as a result of the reaction.