water’s angular shape and hydgrogen-bonding characteristics give it extra-ordinary properties

·         the following table summarizes, explains, describes the effects, and gives an example of each unique property of water:

 

What Water Does

Property

Explanation

Result

Example

 

water clings

 

 

cohesion

 

 

hydrogen bonds form between water molecules

 

 

Great surface tension

 

a tooth pick floats on water

 

adhesion

 

 

hydrogen bonds form between water molecules and other polar materials

 

 

capillary action

 

water climbs up xylem of trees

 

 

water holds onto heat

 

relatively high specific heat capacity

 

 

hydrogen bonding causes water to take in large amounts of heat before its temperature is increases and also causes it to lose large amounts of heat before its temperature decreases significantly

 

 

maintenance of temperature

 

high heat capacity helps organisms maintain a constant body temperature

 

high specific heat of vaporization

 

 

hydrogen bonding causes liquid water to absorb a large amount of heat to become a vapour (gas)

 

 

evaporative cooling

 

many organisms, including humans, lose body heat by evaporation of water from surfaces, such as skin (by sweating) and tongue (by panting)

 

 

solid water is less dense than liquid water

 

 

highest density at 4˚C

 

as water molecules cool below 0˚C, they form a crystalline lattice (freezing) – the hydrogen bonds between the V-shaped molecules spread the molecules apart, reducing the density below that of liquid water

 

ice floats on liquid water

 

fish and other aquatic organisms are able to survive in winter