Water

• Water is a metabolite in many metabolic reactions, including condensation and hydrolysis reactions.
• Water is an important solvent in which metabolic reactions occur.
• Water has a relatively high heat capacity, buffering changes in temperature.
• Water has a relatively high heat capaity, buffering changes in temperature.
• Water has a relatively large latent heat of vaporisation, providing a cooling effect with little loss of water through evaporation.
• Water has strong cohesion between water molecules; this supports columns of water in the tube-like transports cells of plants and produces surface tension where water meets the air.