OBJECTIVES

THE NATURE OF WATER

Figure 1-2. Water molecules bonded by hydrogen bonds.

© ND, courses.lumenlearning.com
THE NATURE OF WATER
Water as a good solvent…
• Water is thus an excellent solvent for charged compounds.
• The positive-charged side of water surrounds negatively
charged molecules, and the negatively charged side of water
surrounds positively charged molecules.
THE NATURE OF WATER
• The charges associated with these molecules form hydrogen bonds with
water, surrounding the particle with water molecules. This is referred to
as a sphere of hydration, or a hydration shell, and serves to keep the
particles separated or dispersed in the water.
THE NATURE OF WATER

Water is therefore referred to as a solvent: a substance capable of

dissolving other polar molecules and ionic compounds.
THE NATURE OF WATER

FIGURE 2-1 Dissociation of NaCl in water.

©(ND), Lumenlearning.com
THE NATURE OF WATER
Oil doesn’t mix with water….
• Water is a poor solvent for hydrophobic molecules such as lipids.
• Nonpolar molecules experience hydrophobic interactions in water: the
water changes its hydrogen bonding patterns around the hydrophobic
molecules to produce a cage-like structure called a clathrate.
THE NATURE OF WATER

Figure 2-2 Ice-like cage of water molecules surrounding a nonpolar solute.

©2001, Blaber, M.
THE NATURE OF WATER
Two properties of water….
1. Water is a polar molecule
2. Water is highly cohesive