WATER AND LIFE

Kim Anh NGUYEN, PhD

nkimanh@medvnu.edu.vn
• > 70% the weight of most
living organisms
• Life began in an aqueous
environment
 CONTENTS

• Structure of water
• Unusual physicochemical properties of water
• Hydrogen bond
• Osmosis
• Ionization in aqueous solutions and pH
 Structure of Water

Tetrahedral arrangement of
the outer shell electron pairs
around the oxygen atom

Two covalent bonds

-
The H-O-H bond angle: 104.5o

The oxygen atom has two

lone pairs
 Structure of Water

The O-H bonds are polar

Oxygen is more electronegative

- than hydrogen and bears a
partial negative charge (-)

Each hydrogen atom bears a

partial positive charge (+)
 Physical Properties of Water
Melting point Boiling point Heat of
(oC) (oC) vaporization (J/g)
Water 0 100 2,260
Methanol (CH3OH) -98 65 1,100
Ethanol (CH3CH2OH) -117 78 854
Propanol (CH3CH2CH2CH2OH) -127 97 687
Butanol (CH3(CH2)2CH2OH) -90 117 590
Acetone (CH3COCH3) -95 56 523
Hexane (CH3(CH2)4CH3) -98 69 423
Benzene (C6H6) 6 80 394
Butane (CH3(CH2)2CH3) -135 -0.5 381
Chloroform (CHCl3) -63 61 247

Why?
Physical Properties of Water

High specific heat capacity

4.184 J.g-1.K-1 = 1 cal.g-1.K-1 (at 20 oC)
 Physical Properties of Water

Water has high surface tension

Ice floats in water

Why?
 +
+ +

-
+ -
+

+ + -
-

Hydrogen bonds
A proton on one water molecule is
attracted to a lone pair on an
oxygen atom in another water
molecule
 Hydrogen bonds

• Non-covalent interactions
• Weak bonds

 The dissociation energy of a hydrogen bond ~ 23 kJ/mol

 The dissociation energy of a covalent O–H bond of H2O ~ 470 kJ/mol

At room temperature, the kinetic energy of motion of H2O

molecules is of the same order of magnitude as that required to
break hydrogen bonds.

The lifetime of each hydrogen bond is 1-20 picoseconds; when a

hydrogen bond breaks, another one forms within 0.1 ps.
 Physical Properties of Water

The sum of all the H bonds between H2O molecules

confers great internal cohesion of liquid water.

Water has relatively

 High melting & boiling point
 High heat of vaporization
 High specific heat capacity
 High surface tension
 Hydrogen bonds
Water expands when freezes!

(crystal lattice)
 Hydrogen bonds

Hydrogen bonds are not unique to water

O-H-O angle = 180o
 optimal electrostatic interaction
 Hydrogen bonds

Water dissolves polar molecules

Polar molecules are soluble in water

• Compounds that dissolve easily in water are hydrophilic

• Compounds that dissolve in nonpolar solvents but
sparingly/insoluble in water are called hydrophobic

“Like Dissolves Like”

When water is used as the solvent, the dissolving process
is called hydration
 Question

Which compound is more soluble in water: ethanol

(CH3CH2OH) or ethane (CH3CH3)?
 Hydrogen bonds

Water dissolves polar molecules

Polar molecules are soluble in water

• Compounds that dissolve easily in water are hydrophilic

• Compounds that dissolve in nonpolar solvents but
sparingly/insoluble in water are called hydrophobic

• How about amphipathic compounds?

 Clusters

Smallest possible hydrophobic

surface area to the water
Micelles
The energy gained by freeing
water molecules immobilized
around the hydrophobic chains
Bile acid (Cholic acid)
 Hydrogen bonds

Weak interactions are crucial to macromolecular

structure and function
Four types of non-covalent interactions (“weak” relative to
covalent bonds) among biomolecules in water:
• Hydrogen bonds
• Ionic interactions (attraction/repulsion)
• Hydrophobic interactions
• van der Waals interactions
 Hydrogen bonds
The role of hydrogen bonding in small molecule -
biomolecule interactions

• Affinity
• Specificity / Selectivity
 Problems

The interactions between biomolecules are often

stabilized by weak interactions such as hydrogen bonds.
How might this be an advantage to the organism?
Propose an example?
 Osmosis

Water movement across a semipermeable membrane

driven by differences in osmotic pressure.

(Semipermeable membrane allows the passage of water

but not solutes)
 Osmosis

Net solvent flow is always from the side with the

lower concentration of solute to the side with the
higher concentration
 Osmosis

Blood plasma is maintained at

an osmolarity close to that of
the cytosol.

Osmolarity is the number of particles

per liter of solution (mOsm/L)
 Osmosis

Blood plasma is maintained at

an osmolarity close to that of
the cytosol.
 Osmosis
Osmotic pressure (): the minimum pressure applied to a
solution to prevent the inward flow of water across a
semipermeable membrane.

The tendency of a solution to take in water by osmosis

 Osmosis
The Van’t Hoff equation:

(kPa)

R: ideal gas constant (8.314 Pa.m3.mol-1.K-1)

T: absolute temperature (K)
c: solute’s molar concentration (mol/L)
i: Van’t Hoff factor
(NaCl completely dissociates into Na+ and Cl–  i = 2.
For nonionizing solutes, i = 1.)

If R = 0.082 atm.L.mol-1.K-1 is used => The unit of osmotic pressure is atm

 Osmosis
The Van’t Hoff equation:

For solutions of several (n) solutes, the osmotic pressure

is the sum of the contributions of each species:
 Questions
Suppose the major solutes in intact lysosomes are KCl (~0.1 M)
and NaCl (~0.03 M). When isolating lysosomes, what
concentration of sucrose is required in the extracting solution at
room temperature (25 °C) to prevent swelling and lysis?

Suppose we decided to use a solution of a polysaccharide, to

balance the osmotic pressure inside the lysosomes. Calculate the
amount of this polysaccharide needed (kg/L). The molar mass of
the polysaccharide is ~18,000 g/mol.

The effect of solutes on osmotic pressure depends on

the number of dissolved particles, not their mass
Ionization in aqueous solutions and pH

Water is an amphiprotic/amphoteric substance

Ionization in aqueous solutions and pH
 Ionization in aqueous solutions and pH

Almost every biological process is pH-dependent

Cells and organisms maintain a constant cytosolic pH ~ 7

The pH of extracellular fluids is also tightly regulated.

Constancy of pH is achieved primarily by buffers:

mixtures of weak acids and their conjugate bases
(bicarbonate, proteins…)
Hyperventilation elicited by stress or anxiety: too much CO2
breathed out, raising the blood pH. This alkalosis can lead to
dizziness, headache, weakness, and fainting.
Water as reactant in biochemical processes
Hydrolysis reactions (nucleophilic addition)
 SUMMARY: Water and Life
• High specific heat capacity: maintaining the constant
temperature of an organism (“heat buffer”)
• High heat of vaporization of water: losing excess heat
through sweat evaporation
• Excellent solvent: means of transporting nutrients
• Biological properties and functioning of biomolecules
(proteins, nucleic acids…) derive from their
interactions with water
• Water is involved in many biochemical reactions
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