In life, chemistry provides the framework. Every visible item consists of different elements that join together and form compounds. Even the most essential components of life are made up of compounds, including water. Most people believe that water exists for drinking and swimming purposes only, but water serves a greater purpose. Without water, life would cease to exist. The distinct molecular composition of water allows it to possess four important and unique properties that help sustain life: cohesive behavior, moderation of temperature, ability to expand when frozen, and the ability to dissolve almost anything on Earth.
Have you ever noticed how water forms droplets and puddles instead of being single rain drops? Each water molecule consists of one negatively charged oxygen and two positively charged hydrogen atoms. Like magnets, positive and negative attract each other. The hydrogen of one water molecule will attach to the oxygen of another through a hydrogen bond, thus forming a larger form of water (Campbell 46-47). In simpler terms, when water and water attract each other, cohesion is in action. Cohesion plays a huge role in the process of transpiration, the evaporation of water from plants. The heat from the sun allows water to transform from a liquid to a gaseous state for evaporation, but gravity pulls against the water. To defy gravity, the cohesive ability of water allows each molecule to pull the next molecule in line up, leading the water to the tip of the leaf for transpiration. …show more content…
Transpiration plays a key role in the water cycle because it releases water back into the cycle, so the water can return to the starting point of the cycle, in the oceans. Without cohesion, the water content of the ocean and annual rainfall amounts would decrease (Campbell 47). The second unique property of water is the ability to neutralize temperatures due to its high specific heat. Water itself can keep a certain temperature because of the strong hydrogen bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen. This is why it takes a high temperature to force the water to boil and evaporate. This property helps with many aspects of life. During the summer and winter, the high specific heat keeps water from becoming too sweltering and frigid for marine life to survive. Water also keeps atmospheric temperatures stable by taking in heat from humid air and releasing it into cooler air. In addition, the high specific heat of water helps humans resist harsh shifts in temperature, or perhaps any temperature we live in (Campbell 48-49). The next unique property of water is …show more content…
Very few substances become less dense when they transform into a solid, and water is one of them. When water starts to freeze, the hydrogen bonds widen and form air pockets, making the ice less dense. The molecules also form a different structure from the liquid form of water. The frozen molecules form a lattice type structure, instead of randomly being placed (Water Density). If water weighed more when solidified, ice would sink and freeze ponds and other bodies of water completely, obviously killing off any marine life. The sheets of ice that do form over water helps protect the water from temperature changes when the warmer seasons start to approach (Campbell
Have you ever noticed how water forms droplets and puddles instead of being single rain drops? Each water molecule consists of one negatively charged oxygen and two positively charged hydrogen atoms. Like magnets, positive and negative attract each other. The hydrogen of one water molecule will attach to the oxygen of another through a hydrogen bond, thus forming a larger form of water (Campbell 46-47). In simpler terms, when water and water attract each other, cohesion is in action. Cohesion plays a huge role in the process of transpiration, the evaporation of water from plants. The heat from the sun allows water to transform from a liquid to a gaseous state for evaporation, but gravity pulls against the water. To defy gravity, the cohesive ability of water allows each molecule to pull the next molecule in line up, leading the water to the tip of the leaf for transpiration. …show more content…
Transpiration plays a key role in the water cycle because it releases water back into the cycle, so the water can return to the starting point of the cycle, in the oceans. Without cohesion, the water content of the ocean and annual rainfall amounts would decrease (Campbell 47). The second unique property of water is the ability to neutralize temperatures due to its high specific heat. Water itself can keep a certain temperature because of the strong hydrogen bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen. This is why it takes a high temperature to force the water to boil and evaporate. This property helps with many aspects of life. During the summer and winter, the high specific heat keeps water from becoming too sweltering and frigid for marine life to survive. Water also keeps atmospheric temperatures stable by taking in heat from humid air and releasing it into cooler air. In addition, the high specific heat of water helps humans resist harsh shifts in temperature, or perhaps any temperature we live in (Campbell 48-49). The next unique property of water is …show more content…
Very few substances become less dense when they transform into a solid, and water is one of them. When water starts to freeze, the hydrogen bonds widen and form air pockets, making the ice less dense. The molecules also form a different structure from the liquid form of water. The frozen molecules form a lattice type structure, instead of randomly being placed (Water Density). If water weighed more when solidified, ice would sink and freeze ponds and other bodies of water completely, obviously killing off any marine life. The sheets of ice that do form over water helps protect the water from temperature changes when the warmer seasons start to approach (Campbell