Transcript The cool properties of water

The cool properties of water
Water Clip
Important Properties of Water
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Universal Solvent
Unique Physical State
High Heat Capacity
Surface Tension
Density
Universal Solvent
• Solvent- capable of
dissolving another
substance.
• “Universal” because of its
polarity:
– charged ends of the water
molecules are attracted to
the charges on other
molecules.
• Enables water to carry
essential nutrients in living
organisms
Unique Physical State
• Water molecules are the only substance on Earth that
exist in all three physical states of matter: solid,
liquid, and gas.
Heat Capacity
• Specific heat is the amount of energy
required to change the temperature of a
substance
• Water has a high heat capacity
– can absorb large amounts of heat energy
before it begins to get hot.
– Water's high specific heat allows for the
moderation of the Earth's climate and helps
organisms regulate their body temperature
more effectively
FYI: Water has the second highest specific heat capacity of all
known substances. (Ammonia has the highest specific heat.)
Surface Tension
• Highest surface tension of all common liquids. Because
water is polar it is “sticky”. Molecules of water want to
stick to themselves.
• Property causes water to
– stick to the sides of vertical
structures despite gravity's
downward pull. (adhesion)
– allows for the formation of
water droplets and waves
(cohesion)
– allows plants to move water (and dissolved nutrients) from their
roots to their leaves (capillary action-adhesion)
– and the movement of blood through tiny vessels in the bodies
of some animals (adhesion).
Density
• Water is the
only substance
on this planet
where the
maximum
density of its
mass does not
occur when it
becomes
solidified.