Water and minerals

• What is tensile strength?

  ability to resist breaking when pulled
• function of magnesium

  • found in chlorophyll
  • activates many enzymes
• function of phosphorus / phosphate

  • bone / teeth
  • acid/base balance
  • component of phospholipids
  • nucleic acids / nucleotides
• properties of water I did not know

  • ice is an insulating layer- keeps heat in so organism under can survive
  • transparency - allows light waves to pass through allowing photosynthesis of aquatic plants
  • surface tension -allows habitats to form on the surface of waters
  • transpiration and xylem columns-due to cohesion
  • reactant -hydrolysis
  • can dissolve CO2 and O2 needed for AR and P
  • Transport medium-dissolves in any chemical
  • high thermal capacity
• Why is water known as a universal solvent

  can dissolve polar/ charged molecules

  and minerals, O2 and CO2
• molecule

  made from 2 or more atoms
• compound

  2 or more different atoms
• polar

  slight charge
• non polar

  no charge
• Organic compounds

  contain carbon, hydrogen

  • made out of living organisms / decaying organisms
• property of water : ice being less dense than water

  • insulating layer over aquatic habitats
  • traps heat -> organisms can survive
• property of water : liquid at most temp

  • transport medium
  • eg. blood , moves up xylem column
• property of water : transparent

  • lightwaves reaches aquatic plants and pass through cytoplasm and reach chloroplast
  • photosynthesis can occur
• property of water : high surface tension

  • surface can support mass of organism
  • support a habitat
• property of water : high specific heat capacity

  ( absorb a lot of energy for small rise in temperature )

  • thermal stability of cells and habitats of organisms
  • so enzymes don't denature
• property of water : high specific latent heat

  ( a lot of energy needed to cool down organism )

  • organism use water evaporation to cool down
  • transpiration in plants -> cooling effect
• property of water : strong cohesive and adhesive properties

  • cohesive - hydrogen bonds stick together
  • adhesive - stick to non-polar or charged surfaces
  • -> high tensile strength allows pulling during transpiration
• function of iron

  • found in haemoglobin
  • enzyme cofactors
• function of calcium

  • strengthens teeth and bones
  • strengthens cell walls in plants
  • synaptic transmission
  • enzyme cofactors