Core Module 3 Water
Distribution and importance of water:
Solvents and water:
Solvents are commonly liquids in which different substances dissolve to
form homogenous mixtures or solutions.
Water is a very common solvent for many household products such as
ammonia floor cleaners, liquid soaps and soft drinks.
Other useful solvents are kerosene, turpentine and methylated spirits
are useful solvents, and they are used for materials that dont often
dissolve in water.
Solutions are not always substances dissolved in liquids.
Solutions are simply homogenous mixtures of two or more substances.
Such as bronze can be classified as a solution as it is a uniform mixture
of tin in copper.
Solvent: A substance (present in the larger amount) that dissolves a solute to
form a solution.
Solution: A homogenous mixture of two or more substances. Solutions may exist
as a solid, liquid or gases.
Solute: A substance (present in smaller amount) that is dissolved in a solvent to
produce a solution.
Water is sometimes called the universal solvent.
In general water is an excellent solvent for many ionic compounds and
some low molecular weight, covalent molecular compounds, such as
organic acids and sugars.
The solubility of various biochemical solutes in our body fluids is
essential for the normal functioning of the body.
Oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolve in water in the bloodstream and
then carried to different parts of the body
Various nitrogenous waste products of metabolism can dissolve in
water and be eliminated from the body as urine
Carbon dioxide dissolves in the cellular water of leaf cells and is then
available as a raw material for photosynthesis
States an distribution of water:
Water is a vital chemical for a living planet. Without liquid water, life as we know
it cannot exist.
Sphere of the
earth
Classification according to physical state % of sphere that is
water
Hydrosphere Solid: polar ice, glaciers
Liquid: oceans, inland seas, lakes etc.
95-99
Biosphere Liquid: Cell protoplasm, extracellular water,
transport systems
Gas: water vapour in intercellular and some
organ spaces
60-95
Lithosphere Solid: frozen solid, hydrated minerals
Liquid: aquifers, ground water
Less than <10
Atmosphere Solid: ice crystals at high altitude, hail
Liquid: rain/ water droplets
Gas: water vapour
0.5-5 depending on
latitude and altitude
Core Module 3 Water
The role of the different states of water
Cellular waste and metabolism:
Water is an essential component of living cells. There is a high percentage
by weight of water in plants and animals.
Humans, like other livings things, need to maintain a daily balance
between water intake and loss.
Water moderates the temperature of the Earth:
Water can absorb large amount of heat without causing a large rise in
temperature. Thus oceans and large bodies of water reduce temperature
fluctuations, which benefits the living things that use these habitats.
The ambient temperature can vary much more than along the coast,
where the cooling effects of the sea breezes produce more moderate
temperature.
Water as an agent of weathering and erosion
Weathering and erosion of the landscape is often caused by water.
The melting and boiling points of water
The melting and boiling points of water are very high for a molecule of
such low molecular weight
Ice and liquid water can exist in equilibrium with one another
Liquid water and water vapour exist in equilibrium with one another
The boiling point of any liquid, including water depends on the local air
pressure
Physical Chemical
Water is a transport medium provides
support. Vascular systems of plants
and animals are a network of vessels
that transport nutrients to wastes
from all the cells of a multicellular
organism.
Water keeps plants cells turgid and
prevents wilting
Metabolic water is produced
respiration. Water is produced
when carbohydrates, fats and
proteins undergo cellular
respiration
Water is a solvent. Water dissolves
many salts and small molecules.
Water is required for
photosynthesis. Water is
absorbed through the roots of
terrestrial plants and finds its
way into photosynthesis
Water is required for reproduction.
Sex cells such as sperm, requires a
liquid in which to swim as they seek
out egg to fertilise
Water is required to digest fat
Core Module 3 Water
Water can boil at much lower than 100degC
When the atmospheric pressure is lower than that at sea level
Altitudes of 3-5km water may boil at about 80-90 deg
Higher altitudes where the air is very thin the water may boil at
temperature as low as normal room temperature. So, boiling water is not
always hot.
The effect of solutes
The data reveals that the freezing point of the water decreases as the
concentration of solute increases.
Salt water freezes at a lower temperature than pure water.
A commercial liquid called antifreeze is commonly added to the water in
car radiators to ensure that the water in the radiator and pipes does not
turn to ice when the ambient temperature drops to freezing point.
The density of water / river or ponds
Density is a measure of the mass per unit volume of a material.
The high density of water at 4 deg has important implications in the
biosphere
As the water temperature drops at the surface density of the surface
water increases until it reaches its maximum density at 4 deg
Dense surface water sinks and sets up convection currents within the
lake, convection continues until all the water is at 4 deg
Temperature at the surface continues to drop, density of the water rises
again and when the temperature reaches 0 the ice starts to form at the
surface providing an insulating layer for the water below
Structure and bonding in water
Intermolecular forces and polarity or molecules:
Electronegativity and polarity of molecules
Non- metallic elements have incomplete valence shells and tend to attract
electrons to produce a stable valence shell
Ability of non-metals is called electronegativity. Metals, however, prefer
to lose valence shell electrons to achieve stable outer shells so are
electropositive
Covalent bonds from between atoms of the same element, the electrons
are shared equally
The non-metal with the higher electronegativity has greater share of the
electrons
Bonds polarity
A covalent bond is said to be non-polar if the electrons pairs are shared
equally
If the electron pairs are not shared equally, the bond is said to be polar
For example chlorine gas and hydrogen gas which are non-polar
substance, but iodine chlorine bond since there is a large difference in
electronegativity these are considered as polar compounds
Partial ionic character of polar covalent bonds
Core Module 3 Water
One of the two atoms linked by a covalent bond gains 100% share of the
electron pair, the bond becomes purely ionic
Very few bonds purely ionic or covalent, in molecular compounds
covalent bonds typically have some partial characters
Polar and non-polar molecules
Molecules can also be classified as polar molecules and non-polar
molecules
Shape and symmetry of the molecule are the critical factors that
determine overall polarity
Molecules are non-polar if the sum of their bond dipoles in three
dimensions is zero. Thus, perfectly symmetrical molecules are non-
polar
Molecules are polar if the sum of their bond dipoles in three
dimensions is non-zero, thus, asymmetrical molecules are polar
The symmetry of these molecules cancels the bond dipoles
Lewis electron dot structures
Lewis electron dot structure of molecules help us visualise the
arrangement of electron pairs in the valence shells of each bonding atom
Others that are not involved are known as non-bonding or lone pairs
Electrons pairs repel each other and move as far apart as possible to
achieve greater stability
Dispersion forces
Electrons are not always evenly distributed around the nucleus.
Dispersion forces are weak attractive forces that result form an uneven
electron distribution around the nucleus and between neighbouring
atoms.
Which means one side of the nucleus can temporarily become more
positive than the other side due to the motion of the outer shell electrons
Generally, the larger the molecule or atom, the larger the dispersion
forces between it and its neighbours.
The surface area of a molecule also affects the size of the dispersion force
Some hydrocarbon molecules wit identical molecular weights have
different shapes due to chain branching.
Differences in effective surface area of the molecules and affects how
closely the molecules can pack together , causing differences in melting
and boiling points.
Dipole-dipole forces
Molecules with permanent dipoles attract one another. The negative end
of one dipole attracts the positive end of the neighbouring dipole.
Dipole-dipole forces are stronger than dispersion forces in molecules of
similar molecular weight.
Similar molecular weights and thus similar dispersion forces
High melting and boiling point results in dipole-dipole interactions.
Hydrogen bonding
Core Module 3 Water
Hydrogen bonding is the attraction between a partially positive hydrogen
atom in one molecule and non-bonding electron pair in fluorine, oxygen
or nitrogen atom bonded to hydrogen atoms in neighbouring molecule.
Hydrogen bonding: a strong type of polar attraction caused by the
interaction of highly electropositive hydrogen atom with the lone pair of
electrons of fluorine, oxygen, or nitrogen atoms bonded to hydrogen
atoms I another molecule.
Hydrogen bonding raises the melting and boiling points of covalent
molecular substances much more than dispersion or dipole-dipole forces.
The properties of water
Surface tension
Elastic forces exist in the surface layers of a liquid; the surface tension of a
liquid is a measure of these elastic forces.
Strong cohesive forces hold water molecules together.
All polar liquids with strong cohesive forces high surface tensions
Surface tension: a measure of the attractive tensional forces in the surface
of a liquid. These elastic forces hold the water molecules together,
preventing the water from spreading out to increase its surface area.