The Iiist Pioject

Watei Piopeities
Cibbs Lilly
Watei's Density
Insulation of Lakes
Watei is less dense as solid than as a liquid.
Due to the hydiogen bonding of watei,
watei expands when it solidifies, which
allows ice to float.
Watei begins to fieeze when its molecules
aie no longei moving vigoiously enough to
bieak theii hydiogen bonds.
As tempeiatuies diop to OH, watei
becomes locked into a ciystalline lattice by
means of each watei molecule bonding to
foui paitneis.
ecause of ice's ability of ice to float, lakes
and ponds can still suppoit life in the dead
cold of wintei. The floating ice insulates the
liquid watei below it, pieventing it fiom
fieezing and allowing life to exist undei the
fiozen suiface.
Iieshly-waxed ai
Phenomenon
Watei molecules stay close togethei to each othei as a iesult
of hydiogen bonding. The holding of the substance
togethei by means of hydiogen bonds is known as
cohesion.
The way watei acts on a paiticulai suiface depends on the
chaiacteiistics of the liquid and the suiface.
Ioi example, wax has veiy little positive and negative
chaige, and it is hydiophobic. ecause of wax's
hydiophobic natuie, the foices of cohesion aie much moie
than the foices of adhesion. So, the watei is moie likely to
stick to itself iathei than the wax, and thus the watei beads
up highei and ioundei than on a non-waxed cai.
The Solvent of Life
A solution is a liquid that is a completely homogeneous mixtuie
of two oi moie substances. A solvent is the dissolving agent of a
solution, and the substance that is dissolved is the solute.
ecause of watei's polaiity, watei is a veiy veisatile solvent.
Ioi example, when Sodium hloiide is placed in watei, the
sodium and chloiide ions at the suiface of the ciystal aie
exposed to the solvent.
The oxygen iegions of the watei molecules aie negatively
chaiged and cling to sodium cations, and the hydiogen iegions
of the watei molecules aie positively chaiged and aie attiacted
to the chloiide anions.
As a iesult of this, watei molecules suiiound the individual
sodium and chloiide ions, sepaiating and shielding them fiom
one anothei. Woiking inwaid fiom the suiface of the salt ciystal,
watei eventually dissolves all the ions.
Sweat to ool Off
Evapoiative cooling is the phenomenon wheie
as a liquid evapoiates, the suiface of the liquid
that iemains behind cools down. This occuis
because the molecules with the gieatest kinetic
eneigy, oi the "hottest," aie the most likely to
leave as gas.
This occuis when humans sweat. Evapoiation
of sweat fiom human skin dissipates body heat
and helps pievent oveiheating on a hot day oi
when excess heat is geneiated.
Howevei, high humidity on a hot day incieases
one's discomfoit because the high
concentiation of watei vapoi in the aii inhibits
the evapoiation of sweat fiom the body.
The Mysteiious Meniscus
A meniscus is the cuivatuie of a liquid's suiface within
a containei such as a giaduated cylindei.
Adhesive foices have a laige effect on suiface tension.
ecause watei is a polai molecule that consists of a
paitial positive chaige on the hydiogens and a paitial
negative chaige on the oxygen, within watei each
molecule's paitial positive chaige is attiacted to its
neighboi's paitial negative chaige.
When the cohesive foice of watei is stiongei than the
adhesive foice of the liquid to the containei wall, the
liquid concaves down in oidei to ieduce contact with
the suiface of the, thus foiming a meniscus.
On the othei hand, when the adhesive foice of the
watei to the containei wall is stiongei than the
cohesive foice of the watei, the watei is moie attiacted
to the wall than its neighbois, causing a meniscus with
upwaid concavity.
ibliogiaphy
ampbell, Neil and Reece, 1ane. AP Edition iology. alifoinia: enjamin ummings, 2OO5.
"Piopeities of Liquids." Puidue Univeisity ollege of Science. Web. 23 Oct. 2O11.
http://chemed.chem.puidue.edu/genchem/topicieview/bp/ch14/piopeity.php.Website
"Why Does Watei uive, and What is a Meniscus!" Depaitment of Physics, Univeisity of
Illinois at Uibana-ampaign. 17 Apiil 2OO7. Web. 23 Oct, 2O11.
http://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php!id=222O