due to hydrogen bonds it provides surface tension and plants use this to transport water from the roots to leaves.
ice is less dense than water
due to hydrogen bonding and arrangement of molecules in water
ice less dense so floats on water, organisms can live on the surface
provides insulating layer preventing the water below getting too cold.
good metabolite
hydrolysis reaction- bond is broken and water molecule used up.
condensation reaction- new bond is formed and a water molecule is released.
large latent heat of vaporisation
molecules move at fast speeds so they have enough kinetic energy to escape= evaporation
the kinetic energy moves with them decreasing the kinetic energy in the water
high specific heat capacity
water has large SHC so absorbs large amounts of heat energy before it's temperature raises a large amount.
bodies of living organisms are mostly made of water, the water in and around our cells absorbs a lot of heat energy without the temp increasing too much. This allows enzymes to continue functioning.
advantage for aquatic organisms as large bodies of water don't change temperature as quickly.
good solvent
ions and polar molecules can easily dissolve in it.
importance
-reactant in cells
-provides structural support in cells
-keeps organisms cool to maintain an optimum body temperature.
polar molecule
electrons are not evenly distributed across the molecule
hydrogen bonding
hydrogen from one water molecule bonds to an oxygen from another water molecule.
