Tomáš Nagy

Erika Slivková
Chemistry 2.L
May 4, 2022

RLW Assignment - Properties of Water

Water has three atoms - oxygen and two hydrogens. Oxygen forms a covalent bond and a dipole with
each of the hydrogens. Since oxygen has a higher electronegativity, it attracts the covalent O-H bond
more strongly than hydrogen, making the O-H bond very polar. They don’t cancel out, making the
whole molecule polar, too. The oxygen atom is slightly negative and the hydrogens are slightly positive.
This makes the oxygen pull the two hydrogens (dipoles) towards itself, creating a net dipole, which
passes through the center of the molecule. A net dipole is the general name for a molecule which has
two or more dipoles. The bond angle between hydrogens and oxygen is precisely 104.5°.

A hydrogen bond is very strong, but weaker than an ionic or covalent one. In order for a hydrogen bond
to form, a hydrogen atom must bond to an highly electronegative atom - in this case oxygen - and
another nearby electronegative atom. It is a dipole-to-dipole bond, thus a positive end has to connect
to a negative end of a di erent molecule. Some molecules which include hydrogen bonds are
ammonia, hydro uoric acid and various alcohols.

In general, substances are more dense in their solid state than their liquid one. Ice is an exception,
though. It oats on water, meaning it has to be less dense than liquid water. The reasoning lies in
hydrogen bonding. The bonds that it forms hold water molecules in a crystal-like shape. This causes
them to be arranged in a way that they are further apart from each other than in liquid water. These
spaces cause a higher volume but an equal mass of water, thus a lower density.

Molecules form bonds with each other and all molecules outside the droplet. Inside the liquid, they are
pulled in all directions and thus have a balanced attraction. At the surface, there are minimal attractions
above the molecules, so they get pulled inward toward the center. They form a smooth layer on the
surface. Because of strong hydrogen bonding, occurring between hydrogen molecules, water has a
very high surface tension compared to other liquids, like hydrocarbons and helium.

Hydrogen bonds are also the cause behind water’s low vapor pressure. Molecules of water are held
together by strong hydrogen bonds, which makes escaping the surface of the liquid di cult and
evaporation slower than in most other liquids. We often calculate these values of vapor pressure and
use them in real life, e.g. in pressure cookers. When the pressure in the pot is higher, the boiling point
also increases, cooking the food faster.

Once again, due to hydrogen bonding, the boiling point of water is unusually high. Hydrogen bonds
form strong attractions between molecules, and they are then more di cult to break apart. A much
higher temperature is required to break the bonds, making the boiling point higher than most other
liquids. Ammonia, for example, doesn’t have as many hydrogen bonds, therefore it can have a lower
boiling point.
Water forming spherical drops is related to its surface tension - explained above. Since water has
strong hydrogen bonds, the surface tension of it is very high and creates spherical shapes. It does this
to minimize the volume it occupies.

A substance which can interfere with hydrogen bonds between individual molecules of water is called a
surfactant. By modifying the hydrogen bonds, the surface tension of water decreases, increasing its
spreading and wetting properties. It is most often used in cleaning agents, such as soap or laundry
detergent.

Mercury is the only other liquid with a higher surface tension than water. Since it is a metal, the bonds
between individual molecules are stronger than hydrogen ones, thus share much stronger forces,
causing it to have a much higher surface tension than water.

We can thank hydrogen bonds for the way ice is structured. As mentioned before, it holds the water
molecules in a crystal-like shape, causing them to be further apart and bond more frequently. When in
liquid state, however, the kinetic energy of the molecules is high, making the bonding less likely. This
structure brings causes interesting properties, such as the density of ice being lower than the density
of liquid water. This causes it to oat on water. If it were denser than water, many whole water bodies
would freeze in winter, leaving life impossible. Kelp forests and ice caps would not exist, leaving the
planet to warm up to extreme temperatures.
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The video attached to the document shows how the surface tension of water behaves in di erent
situations. In the rst video we can see the water forming droplet shapes when on a leaf, but also when
the water falls down from the leaf. In the second situation, the water shows clear droplets while
pouring, along with it accumulating on top of the leaf, before nally reaching a point, where its surface
tension isn’t strong enough, and it ows down. In the third clip we see how the water surface sort of
‘stretches’ and allows the air bubble to go inside before letting it out again.