FORM 2 SCIENCE

CHAPTER 5: WATER & SOLUTION

Physical Characteristics of Water

1. Water is one of the basic resources for the survival of living things.
2. Living cells need water to carry out life processes, such as
➢ carrying out photosynthesis and maintaining turgidity of plant cells
➢ facilitating digestion, excretion and transportation of nutrients in the body of
animals and humans

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Physical characteristics of water

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➢ Odourless, tasteless, and colourless

➢ Boiling point 100°C
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➢ Freezing point = 0°C

➢ Capillary action
➢ The physical state of water changes when heat is absorbed or released
➢ Surface tension (at 10°C) = 0.074 N m-1

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➢ Density (at 4°C) 1.0 g cm-1
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Impurities can change the physical characteristics of water. For example, salt can
• make the water tastes salty
• lower the melting point of ice
• increase the boiling point of water
• increase the density of water

Electrolysis of Water

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1. Water is a compound made up of 2 different elements: hydrogen and oxygen.

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2. To prove that water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen, we have to perform
electrolysis.
3. Electrolysis:
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4. To perform the electrolysis of water, the following experiment is set up:
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5. There is a confirmation test for both hydrogen and oxygen gases.
6. Test for oxygen gas:
Glowing wooden splint is placed into a beaker or test tube containing oxygen gas

Observation:

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7. Test for hydrogen gas: burning splint is placed into a beaker or test tube containing
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hydrogen gas.
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Observation:
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Evaporation of water

1. Evaporation of water is a process by which water changes into water vapour at

any temperature below the boiling point of water.
2. Evaporation of water occurs slowly because it involves only the water molecules
at the exposed surface.

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1. The molecules of water evaporate and gather above the surface of water.
2. Wind blows water molecules to another place and this creates an empty space
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above the surface of water.

3. More water molecules are ready to evaporate from the surface of water to fill
the empty space.
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4. If water is kept inside a closed container, water cannot evaporate away and
remains inside the container.
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Factors Affecting the Rate of Evaporation of Water

1. Rate of evaporation refers to how fast water can evaporate into the air.
2. The following factors can affect the rate of evaporation:
• Humidity
• Surrounding temperature
• Exposed surface area of water
• Movement speed of wind

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3. Humidity refers to the level of moisture in the air.
4. The more water vapour present in the air, the higher the humidity.

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5. Rate of evaporation decreases when humidity is high.
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High humidity in the forest area

6. When humidity is low, the rate of evaporation increases.

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Desert area are dry and has low humidity

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7. When surrounding temperature increases, the rate of evaporation of water
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increases.
Why?
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8. When the total surface area of water exposed to air increases, the rate of
evaporation increases.

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9. When movement speed of air is high, the rate of evaporation increases.
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Solution and Rate of Solubility

Differentiating solute, solvent and solution

1. Solute is a substance that can dissolve in a liquid.

Examples: salt and sugar.
2. Solvent is a liquid that dissolves a substance.
Examples: water and oil.

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3. Solution is a mixture of a solute and a solvent. Examples: sugar solution and salt
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solution.
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Another example:

Dissolving copper sulphate crystals in water to produce copper sulphate solution

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Types of Solution
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Dilute solution
• Contains very little solute
• Can dissolve a lot more solute because there is a lot of space between the particles
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of solute

Concentrated solution
• contains a lot of solute
• Can dissolve only a little more solute because there is a little space between the
particles of solute
Saturated solution
• Contains maximum amount of solute
• Cannot dissolve any more solute because there is not enough space between the
particles of solute

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• Once a solution is saturated, the solute cannot dissolve anymore.

• However, solubility of a solute in a solvent can be affected by several factors.
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Factors that affect the rate of dissolving (solubility)

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1. Solubility is the maximum amount of solute that dissolves in a solvent at a particular

temperature and volume.
2. Solubility is usually expressed in the unit of grams per 100 ml of solvent (g/100 ml).
3. The unit g/100 ml means the maximum mass of solute contained in 100 ml of a
solvent.
 Solute Solubility (g/100 ml of water)

20°C 40°C 80°C 100°C

Sodium chloride 36 36 38 39

Potassium nitrate 33 65 167 240

Calcium bicarbonate 16.6 17.1 17.9 18.4

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4. The rate of dissolving refers to how fast a solute can dissolve in a solvent.

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5. The faster the solute dissolves, the higher the rate of dissolving.
6. The rate of dissolving a solute will increase it
➢ the temperature of solvent increases
➢ the rate of stirring increases
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➢ the size of solute particles reduces
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Hot water can dissolve salt and sugar faster compared to cold water
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Stirring sugar or salt in water dissolves them faster
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Sugar cubes takes a longer time to dissolve compare to granules or powder

sugar.
The Importance of Water as a Solvent

1. Water is also known as a universal solvent because of its ability to dissolve many
substances.
2. When a substance dissolves in water, it is called an aqueous solution.
3. Example of an aqueous solution is salt water.
4. Other examples of the importance of water as a solvent:

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Organic solvents
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1. Substances that cannot dissolve in water can dissolve in organic solvents.

2. Examples of organic solvents:
• Acetone
• Ethyl acetate
• Alcohols
• Chloroform
1. Water from natural resources may contain:
● impurities such as particles of soil and suspended particles
● chemical substances and dissolved mineral salts
● microorganisms such as diseases-causing protozoa and bacteria
● unpleasant smell, taste and colour

Water purification method Description

Boiling

● High temperature can kill most of the harmful

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microorganisms in the water
● Boiled water still contains dissolved impurities
and suspended particles

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Application :
● To prepare drinking water at home
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Filtration
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● filtered water is called filtrate and the waste left

behind is called residue
● The filtrate is clear and free from insoluble
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impurities
● However, it still contains dissolved impurities
and microorganisms
Applications:
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● To purify water in the public water purification

plant
● To filter the incoming water supply at home
 Purification and distillation
*refer to the diagram below
● Pure water does not contain any impurities
● Pure water is prepared through distillation
● The distillation process involves the boiling of
water into steam and the condensation of steam
into distilled water

Applications :
● To prepare drugs in hospitals and
pharmaceutical laboratories
● To dissolve chemicals or to dilute concentrated
solutions in laboratories
● To dilute the concentrated sulphuric acid in the
acid-lead accumulator

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Chlorination

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● A chlorine solution is diluted in water to kill
harmful microorganisms and to decolourise the
water
● This method does not get rid of suspended
mparticles and dissolved impurities in the water

Applications:
● To treat water in swimming pools and public
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water tanks
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*Distillation of water:
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Problems of water supply

1. Some countries experience water supply problems due to an increase of

population or drastic changes in climate.
2. This problem can be overcome through the use of technology.

Recycling of water:

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Fog collection:

1. Fog is a cloud of water vapour suspended in the atmosphere near the Earth's
surface.
2. When fog is blown into the nylon mesh, the water vapour is caught in the mesh
and is condensed into water droplets.
3. These water droplets then drip down and are collected in a water tank.
4. Chile and Peru are among the countries that use this technology to obtain
freshwater for drinking, bathing and irrigation.

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Reverse Osmosis

1. This technology is used to obtain freshwater from seawater through the process of
desalination.
2. Seawater seeps through a special semipermeable membrane under high pressure.
The tiny pores on the membrane allow only water molecules to pass through, while
soluble salts and bacteria are filtered out.

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Water Supply System

Water is collected in a reservoir. Then, the water is purified before it is distributed to

our home.

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Characteristics of safe drinking water

1. A water purification plant is a water treatment plant.

2. The quality of water is monitored routinely and periodically to ensure it meets the
standard values.
3. The Ministry of Health Malaysia sets the Drinking Water Quality Standard for our
country.

Criteria Standard

pH 6.5 - 9.0

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Turbidity ≤ 5.0 NTU

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Colour m 15 TCU

Ferrum (iron) ≤ 0.3 mg/l

Manganese ≤ 0.1 mg/l

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Aluminium ≤ 0.2 mg/l
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Fluoride 0.4 - 0.6 mg/l

Chlorine 1 mg/l
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Mercury 0.001 mg/l

E. coli bacteria Nil

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Note:
● NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Unit)
● TCU (True Colour Unit)
Water pollution

1. Water pollution is caused by the presence of water pollutants in large amounts.

2. Water pollutants affect the quality of water until it is no longer suitable for use by
humans, animals and plants.
3. There are two types of water pollutants:
i) Biodegradable
● Can be broken down by biological agents
➢ Organic fertilisers
➢ Animal carcasses

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➢ Plant wastes
➢ Sewage

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ii) Non-biodegradable
● Cannot be broken down by biological agents
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➢ Radioactive wastes
➢ Plastics
➢ Chemical wastes
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➢ Heavy metals
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4. Effects of Water Pollution:

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Methods to keep our water sources clean
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1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R)
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2. Use fertilisers only when needed.

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3. Treat wastewater before flowing them into the rivers.

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4. Carry out water aeration to reduce unpleasant smell.

5. Use bio-remediation to treat pollution.

Water Sustainability
1. We must use water sustainably to ensure adequate supply of clean water is
available for present and future generations.
2. Sustainability of water is the long-term availability of water resources.
3. Proper utilisation and conservation of water resources can ensure sustainability
of water.
4. A sustainable water resource is the key to a healthy life.

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