Water and Its

Properties
 Learning Objective
• To be able to explain the properties
of water based on its molecular
structure and the intermolecular
forces
 Water
• Water is so common that we often take it for granted. We
assume that it is a typical liquid, but chemical studies
show that nearly all of its chemical and physical
properties are unusual when compared to other liquids.
• Water is a very remarkable substance with its simple
composition and structure. It has unique properties.
• An evidence of its uniqueness is that it is the only natural
substance that is found in all three phases: liquid, solid
(ice), and gas (steam) at temperatures normally existing
in our planet.
 Physical Properties
Density
Water is at its maximum density at a temperature of 4°C
(39°F). It has the unusual property of contracting in
volume as it is cooled to 4°C, and then expanding when
cooled from 4°C to 0°C. It is the only liquid that expands
when it freezes. This makes the density of ice lower than
that of liquid water and that is why ice floats on water.
 Physical Properties

Boiling Point.
Water has a relatively high boiling point (100°C at 1 atm),
which indicates its stability. Substances of comparable
molar mass like ammonia and methane are gases at a
temperature when water is a liquid. If water was to be
similar to other liquids on Earth, it would boil at normal
surface temperatures and, thus, would exist only as a
gas, then we would not have the much-needed water in
the liquid phase for drinking.
 Physical Properties

Specific Heat
The specific heat of water is higher than any commonly known
liquid except ammonia. This means that water takes much
longer time to heat up and also to cool down than most
substances in our environment. It can absorb a large amount of
heat with only a slight change in temperature. Water
temperature fluctuates less than land temperature such that
large bodies of water, like the oceans, serve as moderating
influences on the earth's climate. Water serves as the earth's
thermal regulator, considering that more than 70% of the earth's
surface is covered with water.
 Physical Properties

• Water has a specific heat capacity of 4.186

J/g°C, meaning that it requires 4.186 J of
energy (1 calorie) to heat a gram by one
degree. is the change in temperature of the
system.
 Physical Properties

Solvent Action
Water dissolves more substances than any other common
liquid. That is why it is the most commonly used polar solvent.
This property makes water the most effective liquid for
transporting dissolved nutrients in the bloodstream, and
eliminating wastes from living tissues in our bodies.
This dissolving ability also explains why water is the most
important agent in the erosion of weathered materials on the
earth's surface and why tropical areas are much more eroded
than deserts.
 Physical Properties
Surface Tension
Water has a high surface tension because of strong
intermolecular H-bonding.

Model of water molecules on the surface held together by H bonding.

• Surface tension is an effect where the
surface of a liquid is strong. The surface
can hold up a weight, and the surface of a
water droplet holds the droplet together, in
a ball shape. Some small things can float
on a surface because of surface tension,
even though they normally could not float.
 Physical Properties

The table shows key properties of water and some compounds.

 Composition and Structure of Water
• By this time, everybody already knows that a single water
molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen
atom. Each hydrogen atom is attached to the oxygen
atom by a single covalent bond. This bond is formed by
the overlap of the 1s orbital of hydrogen with an sp3
hybrid orbital of oxygen that contains the unpaired
electron.

(A) (B)
Diagrams showing: (a) the molecular representation of the water
molecule and (b) the O-H bond length and the bond angle in water.
Composition and Structure of Water

• Although the H2O molecule as a

whole is electrically neutral, its O-H
bonds are polar, and because of its
bent structure, water is a polar
molecule. It acts as a dipole, with a
partial positive charge at one end
(on the H atoms side) and a partial Dipole Structure
of Water
negative charge at the other end
(on the oxygen atom).
 Composition and Structure of Water
• The intermolecular forces acting between water molecules
are the hydrogen bonds. (A hydrogen bond is actually the
dipole-dipole attraction between polar molecules
containing F-H, O-H, or N-H bonds.) Thus, water has two
types of bonds: (1) covalent bonds between H and O
atoms within the molecule; and (2) H-bonds between H
and O atoms in different water molecules.
. Oxygen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen Bonds

H-bonding between Water Molecules

 Chemical Properties
• Water is a very stable substance, as shown by its
being in the liquid phase at temperatures found in
most places on the earth's surface and having a
relatively high boiling point of 100oC compared with
compounds of similar molecular weights. In its liquid
state, water takes part in many chemical reactions.
1. Water reacts with metals

(Metal oxide and hydrogen gas is created when a

metal and water reacts together)
 Chemical Properties
2. Water reacts with nonmetals. The element fluorine
reacts violently with cold water, producing hydrogen
fluoride and free oxygen.

(Non-metals will normally not react with water,

however, non-metal oxides will react with water to
form acids. In this example, chlorine gas will react
with water to form hydrochloric acid and
hypochlorous acid)
 Chemical Properties
3. Water reacts with metallic oxides. Soluble
oxides like CaO and Na2O react with water to
form hydroxides.
(The reaction of Cao + H2O → Ca (OH)2 is
described as a combination reaction, in
which calcium oxide and water combine to form a
single product which is calcium hydroxide. Here,
two reactants combine to form one product)
 Chemical Properties
4. Water reacts with nonmetallic oxides. CO2,
SO2, and N2O5 react with water to form acids.

SO2 + H2O > H2SO3

 Chemical Properties
• Hydrates. Water can combine with some salts to form hydrates,
which are solids that contain water molecules as part of their
crystalline structure. The water in the hydrate is called water of
crystallization or water of hydration.
• Hydrates follow the law of definite composition, having a fixed
number of water molecules in the crystalline unit. This number of
water molecules are included in the formula of the compound using
a dot (•) followed by the number of water molecules present.
• For example: the compound named copper (II) sulfate
pentahydrate contains five molecules of water, so the formula is
CuSO4•5H2O.
 Name the following Hydrates
1. CuCl2•2H2O
2. SnCl4•2H2O
3. Cu(CH3CO2)2 •H2O
4. CoCl2•6H2O
5. MgCr2O7•5H2O
 Uses of Water
Industrial Uses
• Water is part of the product. For example, large amounts of water are
used in manufacturing soft drinks, beer, pastry, and canned foods as
well as in the formulation of drugs, lotions, cleaning agents, etc.
• Water is used in the processing of the product. For example, huge
quantities of water are used in making paper, but the greater part of it
does not stay with the product. Water is used in grinding wood chips,
mixing the pulp over a wide screen, but the water is drained o the screen
as the paper moves ahead.
• Water is used for cooling the product. For instance, the water may be
piped through a steel mill to absorb heat from the furnace and molten
metal.
 Uses of Water
Agricultural Uses
• Lands are irrigated by water from rivers, lakes, and artificial reservoirs, but
there is unavoidable need for manmade irrigation and dams or reservoirs.
Dams are used by man to slow down or speed up the flow of water or to
stop its flow altogether. When dams stop the flow, water is usually stored
in a lake or reservoir so that people can make use of it when needed.
Domestic Uses
• An adult human being has a minimum daily need of two liters of water for
drinking. This is an obvious requirement, but an equally vital one is the
large volume of water needed to sustain his/her other domestic needs like
in bathing, household cleaning, watering the plants, and laundry purposes.
 Water Supply and Water Quality
• The total amount of water on Earth is enormous, though
only a small part of it (less than 1%) is suitable or available
for use by humans, plants, and animals. This part the fresh
water in lakes, rivers, and from ground water sources
(wells).
• Water is a renewable substance. Its total amount remains
constant. The hydrologic cycle assures that water, no
matter how often used, will return over and over to Earth.
• Water continuously circulates from the oceans to the
atmosphere, to the land and back to the oceans, providing
a renewable supply of purified water on land.