Water

• Water is a polar molecule because of the uneven distribution charge within the molecules - the hydrogen atoms are more positive atoms than the oxygen atom causing one end of the molecule to be more positive than the each other
• It is a metabolite in metabolic reactions such as condensation and hydrolysis which are used in forming and breaking of chemical bonds
• It is a solvent in which many metabolic reactions occur
• It has a high heat specific capacity meaning that a lot of energy is required to warm water up therefore minimising temperature fluctuations in living things therefore it acts as a buffer
• It has a relatively large latent heat of vaporisation, meaning evaporation of water provides a cooling effect with little water loss
• Strong cohesion between molecules enables effective transport of water in tube-like transport cells as the strong cohesion supports columns of water. As a result of strong cohesion the surface tension at the water-air boundary is high
• Maximum density of water is at 4 degrees – this means that ice is less dense than water and floats on top of it creating an insulating layer, this increases the chance of survival of organisms in large bodies of water as it prevents them from freezing
• Water is incompressible therefore it provides good support