Water Chemistry

All living organisms are dependent on water.

The structure of water is the basis for its

unique properties.

The most important property of water is the

ability to form hydrogen bonds.
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Hydrogen bonding

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 Water Chemistry
Within a water molecule, the bonds between
oxygen and hydrogen are highly polar.

Partial electrical charges develop:

- oxygen is partially negative
- hydrogen is partially positive

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 Water Chemistry
Hydrogen bonds are weak attractions between
the partially negative oxygen of one water
molecule and the partially positive hydrogen
of a different water molecule.

Hydrogen bonds can form between water

molecules or between water and another
charged molecule.

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Water Chemistry

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 Water Chemistry
The polarity of water causes it to be cohesive and
adhesive.

cohesion: water molecules stick to other water

molecules by hydrogen bonding

adhesion: water molecules stick to other polar

molecules by hydrogen bonding
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Water Chemistry

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Surface tension

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 Properties of Water
1. Water has a high specific heat.
- A large amount of energy is required to
change the temperature of water.

2. Water has a high heat of vaporization.

- The evaporation of water from a surface
causes cooling of that surface.
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 Properties of Water
3. Solid water is less dense than liquid water.
- Bodies of water freeze from the top down.

4. Water is a good solvent.

- Water dissolves polar molecules and ions.

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Properties of Water

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 Properties of Water
5. Water organizes nonpolar molecules.
- hydrophilic: “water-loving”
-hydrophobic: “water-fearing”
- Water causes hydrophobic molecules to
aggregate or assume specific shapes.

6. Water can form ions.

H2O  OH-1 + H+1
hydroxide ion hydrogen ion
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Ice, water, vapor

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 Hydrogen bonding
Ice
(electric attraction)
Liquid

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“Dissociation” of water

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 pH [H+]= 10-1M

pH = – log [H+]

Log scale means 10X

change per unit!

[H+]= 10-9 M

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 Buffers
•Buffers resist changes to the pH of a
solution when H+ or OH- is added to the
solution.
•Buffers accept hydrogen ions from the
solution when they are in excess and donate
hydrogen ions when they have been
depleted.

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 Overall lessons:
• Many properties of water are emergent properties due to hydrogen
bonding.
• The cohesion of water molecules to each other is exploited by plants
and animals.
• Water resists temperature changes by absorbing lots of heat.
• Lower density of ice causes it to float & insulate the water below.
• The polarity of water allows it to dissolve other polar molecules.
• Non-polar compounds are hydrophobic and not easily dissolved in
water.
• A mole of a compound has a constant # of molecules.
• Adding or removing hydrogen ions changes the pH of a solution.
• Buffers resist pH changes by accepting or donating H ions when
[H+] changes.
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Quiz 1.
  
How would you make a 0.1M solution of glucose? (I want to know the # of grams of glucose used)
 
What accounts for the movement of water up xylem vessels in a plant?
cohesion
hydrogen bonding
adhesion
hydrophilic vessel walls
all of these
 
The following are pH values: cola-2; orange juice-2; beer-4; coffee-5; human blood-7.4. Which of these liquids has the highest molar
[OH-]
cola
orange juice
beer
coffee
human blood
 
Which of the following is a molecule capable of forming hydrogen bonds and why?
CH4
H2O
NaCl
H2
A, b, and d can form hydrogen bonds.
 
Taking into account the bonding capacities or valences of C, O, how many hydrogen must be added to complete the structural
diagram of the molecule on the board.
 
A radioactive isotope of carbon has the mass number 14. How many neutrons does this isotope have?
 
Explain evaporative cooling to me.

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