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Water

4.1 Water
 
Properties of Water and Its Importance in a Cell
Polarity of Water
  • Water is an inorganic compound consisting of the hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) elements
  • Water molecules are polar molecules because shared electrons between oxygen and hydrogen will be attracted towards oxygen which is more electronegative (δ– )
  • This polarity produces hydrogen bonds and allows water to act as a universal solvent
  • The universal solvent properties of water allow solutes such as glucose and electrolytes to be transported through the plasma membranes into cells for biochemical reactions
Cohesive Force and Adhesive Force of Water
  • Water molecules are attached to each other through a cohesive force
  • At the same time, water molecules are also attached to other surfaces through adhesive force
  • Both forces produce the capillary action which allows water to enter and move along narrow spaces, such as in the xylem tube
Specific Heat Capacity of Water
  • Water has a high specific heat capacity of \(\text{4.2 kJ kg}^{-1}\)\(^\circ C ^{-1}\)
  • This means that \(4.2\text{ kJ}\) of heat energy is required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by \(1^\circ C\)
  • Water absorbs a lot of heat energy with a small rise in temperature
  • This characteristic is very important to maintain the body temperature of organisms
 
This images showing the properties of water. 1. Polarity - water is polar molecules and this causes water to become universal solvent. 2. specific heat capacity - water has a high specific heat capacity in which water absorbs heat energy with a minimum rise of temperature. This is important to maintain body temperature in organisms. 3. cohesive and adhesive force - these forces helps water to attach to one another and to other surfaces. These forces combined and produces capillary action which is important to help water to move in a narrow space such as xylem tubes.
The views expressed in the notes here are those of the contributor and don’t necessarily represent the views of pandai.

Water

4.1 Water
 
Properties of Water and Its Importance in a Cell
Polarity of Water
  • Water is an inorganic compound consisting of the hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) elements
  • Water molecules are polar molecules because shared electrons between oxygen and hydrogen will be attracted towards oxygen which is more electronegative (δ– )
  • This polarity produces hydrogen bonds and allows water to act as a universal solvent
  • The universal solvent properties of water allow solutes such as glucose and electrolytes to be transported through the plasma membranes into cells for biochemical reactions
Cohesive Force and Adhesive Force of Water
  • Water molecules are attached to each other through a cohesive force
  • At the same time, water molecules are also attached to other surfaces through adhesive force
  • Both forces produce the capillary action which allows water to enter and move along narrow spaces, such as in the xylem tube
Specific Heat Capacity of Water
  • Water has a high specific heat capacity of \(\text{4.2 kJ kg}^{-1}\)\(^\circ C ^{-1}\)
  • This means that \(4.2\text{ kJ}\) of heat energy is required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by \(1^\circ C\)
  • Water absorbs a lot of heat energy with a small rise in temperature
  • This characteristic is very important to maintain the body temperature of organisms
 
This images showing the properties of water. 1. Polarity - water is polar molecules and this causes water to become universal solvent. 2. specific heat capacity - water has a high specific heat capacity in which water absorbs heat energy with a minimum rise of temperature. This is important to maintain body temperature in organisms. 3. cohesive and adhesive force - these forces helps water to attach to one another and to other surfaces. These forces combined and produces capillary action which is important to help water to move in a narrow space such as xylem tubes.
The views expressed in the notes here are those of the contributor and don’t necessarily represent the views of pandai.
Chapter : Chemical Composition in a Cell
Topic : Correlate the properties of water with its importance in the cell
Form 4 Biology
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