The cool properties of water Water Clip Important

The cool properties of water Water Clip

Important Properties of Water • • • 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.