Water

Rut Klinger
MIS IB DP
 Water is
Essential idea the medium
of life.
Chemical Bonding
◈ Covalent
◈ Hydrogen
◈ Ionic
 Covalent vs Ionic Bonds

◈ Covalent ⚪ Ionic
● moves
sharing of electrones from
electrons one atom to
very stable another
● ions can be
creates a separated -
molecule dissociation
● creates crystals
Hydrogen Bonds

◈ Relatively weak
◈ Between two atoms of
different molecules
charged the opposite
way (hydrogen is +)
Water Molecule

◈ Water is made up of two hydrogen atoms covalently

bonded to an oxygen atom (molecular formula = H2O)
◈ While this covalent bonding involves the sharing of
electrons, they are not shared equally between the
atoms
◈ Oxygen (due to having a higher electronegativity)
attracts the electrons more strongly 
◈ The shared electrons orbit closer to the oxygen atom
than the hydrogen atoms resulting in POLARITY
Hydrogen Bonds in
water
◈ Water molecules are
polar so ‘-’ end of each
molecule will attract ‘+’
ends of other molecules
◈ Hydrogen bonds are
formed
◈ It keeps water molecules
together and gives water
some unique properties
Hydrogen
intermolecular
bonding
between
water
molecules
gives water Thermal properties –
Water can absorb
Cohesive / adhesive
properties – Water
Solvent properties –
Water dissolves polar
distinct much heat before
changing state
will ‘stick’ to other
water molecules
and ionic substances
(forms competing
properties not (requires breaking of
hydrogen bonds)
(cohesion) and
charged substances
polar associations to
draw materials apart)
seen in other (adhesion)

substances:
 Hydrogen bonding and dipolarity explain the cohesive,
adhesive, thermal and solvent properties of water

◈ Water has the capacity to form intermolecular

associations with molecules that share common
properties
◈ Because water is polar it will be attracted to
other molecules that are polar or have an ionic
charge
 Adhesion

• This property occurs as a result of the polarity of a water

molecule and its ability to form hydrogen bonds Water
droplets stick
• Water molecules tend to stick to other molecules that to surface
are charged or polar for similar reasons that they stick to and seem to
defy gravity
each other because of
• Again similarly individual hydrogen bonds are weak, but form because
the adhesive
large number of bonds gives adhesive forces great forces that
strength bond them to
the surface of
the grass
blade.
 Cohesion

❖ This property occurs as a result of the polarity of a water

molecule and its ability to form hydrogen bonds
❖ Although hydrogen bonds are weak the large number of
bonds present (each water molecule bonds to four others
in a tetrahedral arrangement) gives cohesive forces great
strength
❖ Water molecules are strongly cohesive (they tend to stick
to one another)
Surface tension is caused by
the cohesive hydrogen
bonding resisting an object
trying to penetrate the
surface.
 Capillary Action
◈ Adhesion & cohesion act together in the thin tube
cohesion keeps water molecules together – water column is
created
adhesion ‘glues’ this column to the capillary walls
the force is enough to pull the water column upwards
◈ water moves in xylem against gravity

capillary action
• Water can dissolve many organic and
inorganic substances that have
charged or polar regions.
Solvent properties
• The polar attraction of large
quantities of water molecules can
interrupt intra-molecular forces
(such as ionic bonds) and resulting
in the dissociation of the atoms
• Positive atoms, e.g. Na+ end up
being surrounded by the negative
oxygen regions of water molecules
and the Cl- being surrounded by
the positive hydrogen region of
water molecules
• Because of this water is often
(wrongly) referred to as being the
‘universal solvent’, it is however a
very good solvent for many
substances.
 Substances can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic.

hydrophilic This term is used to describe substances

( water loving that are chemically attracted to water.
)

• All substances that dissolve in water are

hydrophilic, including polar molecules such as
glucose, and particles with positive or negative
charges such as sodium and chloride ions.
• Substances that water adheres to, cellulose for
example, are also hydrophilic.

A space filling molecular diagram

of glucose showing the positive
and negative charges
http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/img/content/multimedia/chapter_5/lesson_7/glucose.jpg
 Substances can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic.

hydrophobic This term is used to describe

substances that are insoluble in
( water fearing water
)

• Molecules are hydrophobic if they do not

have negative or positive charges and are
nonpolar
• All lipids are hydrophobic, including fats
and oils
• Hydrophobic molecules dissolve in other
solvents such as propanone (acetone)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Water_and_oil.jpg/450px-Water_and_oil.jpg
 Transport in Water
◈ Dissolved substances can be transported
nutrients, gases, waste product, signaling substances
◈ within the cell
◈ within the organism
in blood in animals
in xylem and phloem in plants
in water environment
in soil
 The transport of Water Soluble Substances
essential molecules
within the
Sodium chloride (NaCl) is an ionic compound and its
bloodstream will components (Na+ and Cl–) may be freely transported within the
depend on their blood

solubility in water
Oxygen is soluble in water but in low amounts – most oxygen is
transported by haemoglobin within red blood cells
Water soluble substances
will usually be able to
travel freely in the blood
Glucose contains many hydroxyl groups (–OH) which may
plasma, whereas water associate with water and thus can freely travel within the blood
insoluble substances
cannot
Amino acids will be transported in the blood in an ionized state
(either the amine and/or carboxyl groups may be charged)
Water Insoluble Substances
The transport of
essential molecules
within the
Lipids (fats and cholesterol) are non-polar and bloodstream will
hydrophobic and hence will not dissolve in
water
depend on their
solubility in water
They form complexes with proteins Water soluble substances
(lipoproteins) in order to move through the will usually be able to
bloodstream travel freely in the blood
plasma, whereas water
Hydrophilic portions of proteins, cholesterol insoluble substances
and phospholipids will face outwards and shield cannot
internal hydrophobic components
 • Water has a high specific heat capacity (4.2 Joules is
required to raise the temperature of 1 g of water by
1°C)
• Water has a high heat of vaporisation (amount of
energy needed to change from a liquid to a gas
Thermal or vapour)
• Water has a high heat of fusion (amount of energy
properties needed to be lost to change liquid water to ice)
• These properties are due to many hydrogen bonds
that need to be formed or broken to change the
temperature or state of water
• Therefore the temperature of water remains
relatively stable
 Thermal Properties

• Many hydrogen bonds – it’s hard to separate

water molecules when they react with each
other
• Lots of energy needed to turn ice into water and
water into steam
• changes of water temperature in
• lakes and rivers are minor
• creatures adapted to given condi-
• tions are not affected by sudden
• temperature changes
• it takes lots of heat to make water
• evaporate
• water is a good coolant

http://www.sciencewithmrmilstid.com/wp-content/uploads/temperaturechangeovertimestate.gif
 Water can evaporate at The evaporation of water
temperatures below the cools body surfaces by
boiling point 🡪 Hydrogen using the energy from
bonds need to break for liquid water to break the
this to occur hydrogen bonds

Use of water
as a coolant Sweat uses evaporative
cooling to maintain body
in sweat  temperature.
As liquids evaporate, they
shed molecules into the
air 🡪 The liquid changes
into a gas, drawing heat
from the liquid.

Evaporation also cools the

remaining liquid because
The process draws heat
faster-moving hot
from the body
molecules are more likely
to escape into the air
 Comparison of the thermal properties of water
with those of methane

◈ Methane (CH4) provides a good basis for

comparison with water due to the many
similarities between their structures:
◈ Comparable size and weight (H2O = 18 dalton ;
CH4 = 16 dalton)
◈ Comparable valence structures (both have
tetrahedral orbital formations, but water is bent
due to unbonded electron pairs) 
 Comparing and contrasting the properties of water and methane
Methane Water Methane
• waste product of anaerobic
respiration in certain prokaryotes
living in anaerobic conditions
• Methane can be used as a fuel
• If present in the atmosphere it
contributes to the greenhouse
Formula CH4 H2O
effect.
Molecular mass 16 18
Bonding Single covalent
Key chemical property that causes the
Polarity nonpolar polar major differences seen in the physical
Density (g cm-3) 0.46 1 properties.

Specific Heat Capacity Methanogenic prokaryotes

2.2 4.2
-1 o -1
(J g c ) • can be found in swamps,
Latent heat of
vapourisation (J g-1)
760 2257 wetlands, the guts of animals
(including cattle and sheep)
Melting point (oC) -182 0
• can also be found in waste dumps
Boiling point (oC) -160 100

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Water_molecule#mediaviewer/File:Water_molecule.svg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/3D_methane.PNG
Summary of water properties
 Living in Water
◈ Due to high density of liquid water
organisms can live in it
swimming
floating

◈ High transparency allows sunglight to

penetrate upper level of aquens
photosynthesis possible
aquatic ecosystems supported by
plants
Water as living habitat
 Let’s revise!
https://quizlet.com/54207346/ib-biology-chapter-22-water-flash-cards/
 ◈ Textbook chapter 2.2 pages 68-73
◈ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jwAGWky98c
◈ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFgYsfM1mU
Resources ◈ https://quizlet.com/54207346/ib-biology-chapter-22-
water-flash-cards/