Water is one of the most important and essential fluid to our human body. We use and drink water almost 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, however, many of us probably have never thought of and find out what are the chemical and scientific reasons behind the importance of water. Approximately 50-65% of the average adult human body is water, however, this varies based on a number of factors such as age, health, weight and sex. In males, it is normally about 60% of the body weight. In females due to their higher proportion of body fat they only have about 50-55% of water which is slightly lower than the males, whereas in infants over 70% percent of their body weight is water, which is much higher than the percentage in an adult. There are
…show more content…
Polarity means that the molecule has both a positively and negatively charged end. Water is called a universal solvent as it is able to dissolve so many common substances. Its polarity is responsible for its effectiveness in dissolving other polar molecules and ionic compounds, such as sugar and salt. This is very important, because for most biological reactions to occur, the reactants must be dissolved in water. The hydrogen bond is a weak bond that often forms between the hydrogen atoms and neighbouring atoms. Hydrogen bonds are very common in living organisms, such as between the bases of DNA are formed by hydrogen bonds to help hold of the DNA chain structure together. Hydrogen bonds also give water molecules two additional characteristics, which are cohesion and surface tension. These two features are not directly related to the importance of water to the human body since the surface tension of tears is due to a complex of tear lipocalin (lipid) with a polar lipid …show more content…
Water is a universal solvent because many different types of materials can be dissolved in water and form solutions. These nutrients are normally broken down in the digestive system and become water-soluble. This means the dissolved materials can be transported around the body by water in the form of solutions. These nutrients can then pass through the capillaries within the intestinal walls to the blood around the body as they are dissolved in the water. The valuable nutrients can be distributed to the body. Without water, the chemical reactions nutrients such as proteins and carbohydrates would not be absorbable and usable by the body. These nutrients could also be a variety of different minerals which are referred as salts. These salts include sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, chlorine, phosphorus and others. These salts all possess electric charges, the number of positive and negative charged particles are equally balanced. Therefore, it has no resultant charge which is neutral. The correct balance of salts is crucial to maintain the proper functioning of the human body as salts not only control your fluid balance, but it also controls how the muscles and nerves work. In addition, water can also prevent disease. According to a research, drinking eight glasses of water per day can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45% and bladder cancer by 50%. Another research suggests
Polarity means that the molecule has both a positively and negatively charged end. Water is called a universal solvent as it is able to dissolve so many common substances. Its polarity is responsible for its effectiveness in dissolving other polar molecules and ionic compounds, such as sugar and salt. This is very important, because for most biological reactions to occur, the reactants must be dissolved in water. The hydrogen bond is a weak bond that often forms between the hydrogen atoms and neighbouring atoms. Hydrogen bonds are very common in living organisms, such as between the bases of DNA are formed by hydrogen bonds to help hold of the DNA chain structure together. Hydrogen bonds also give water molecules two additional characteristics, which are cohesion and surface tension. These two features are not directly related to the importance of water to the human body since the surface tension of tears is due to a complex of tear lipocalin (lipid) with a polar lipid …show more content…
Water is a universal solvent because many different types of materials can be dissolved in water and form solutions. These nutrients are normally broken down in the digestive system and become water-soluble. This means the dissolved materials can be transported around the body by water in the form of solutions. These nutrients can then pass through the capillaries within the intestinal walls to the blood around the body as they are dissolved in the water. The valuable nutrients can be distributed to the body. Without water, the chemical reactions nutrients such as proteins and carbohydrates would not be absorbable and usable by the body. These nutrients could also be a variety of different minerals which are referred as salts. These salts include sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, chlorine, phosphorus and others. These salts all possess electric charges, the number of positive and negative charged particles are equally balanced. Therefore, it has no resultant charge which is neutral. The correct balance of salts is crucial to maintain the proper functioning of the human body as salts not only control your fluid balance, but it also controls how the muscles and nerves work. In addition, water can also prevent disease. According to a research, drinking eight glasses of water per day can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45% and bladder cancer by 50%. Another research suggests