Explain the compound water, Biology

Assignment Help:

Explain the compound water?

Water :  Water is the most important compound in living cells, making up most of the bulk of living organisms. Our own bodies contain 40% - 60% water. We can survive without food longer than we can without water. Water has several unique properties that make it important to living organisms:

(1) Water is a good solvent. More substances dissolve in water than in any other liquid. Because of its polar nature, water is able to break up ionic compounds into their component ions, freeing them to react with other substances.

(2) Because it is a polar molecule, water is both cohesive and adhesive, which results in capillarity, the ability to move through small orifices or fine pores against the force of gravity and other forces.

(3) The heat of vaporization of water is high; that is, water takes up large quantities of heat when it evaporates, making it a good evaporative coolant. Both plants and animals use water evaporation from surface cells for cooling.

(4) Water has a high specific heat, meaning that it requires a large amount of heat to change its temperature. Since living organisms are made up mostly of water, they gain and lose heat slowly. Water is able to absorb heat from chemical reactions in the organisms.

(5) Water has a high thermal conductivity, or heat conduction, which helps to keep parts of the organism from overheating.

(6) Because of its cohesion, water has a high boiling point. The significance of this is that water does not readily change from a liquid to a gas. In fact, a relatively large quantity of heat is required to change water from a liquid state into gaseous steam.

 


Related Discussions:- Explain the compound water

Fossils formed by organisms that resemble modern, The oldest fossils look a...

The oldest fossils look as though they were formed by organisms that resemble modern?

1, #phyletic lineage ..

#phyletic lineage ..

Physiology, what happens to your total peripheral resistance when you go fr...

what happens to your total peripheral resistance when you go from a warm room to cool outside air

Define classification of foods based on ph, Define Classification of foods ...

Define Classification of foods based on pH? Of these, the nature of the food, primarily the pH of food, is the most significant determinant of how severely the food will be pro

Is a viral infection treated with drug, Q. Is a viral infection treated wit...

Q. Is a viral infection treated with the same kind of drug that treats bacterial infections? The Antibacterial drugs, potent against a great variety of bacteria, are not effect

What do you mean by ulcerative colitis, Q. What do you mean by Ulcerative C...

Q. What do you mean by Ulcerative Colitis? Let us understand clearly about ulcerative colitis by reading the following case. Varun, a 48-year-old male, had a very successful

Extension cord causing injury, A 19 year old model for Glamour magazine tri...

A 19 year old model for Glamour magazine tripped over an extension cord causing injury to her epidermis. She is afraid the injury will leave a scar. Based on your knowledge of rege

Explain bacterial vaginosis, Bacterial vaginosis  The role of sexual tr...

Bacterial vaginosis  The role of sexual transmission is unclear in bacterial vaginosis, in which normal H2O2-producing Lactobacillus  species are replaced by overgrowth with  G

Role of hormones in aging, Role of Hormones in Aging Aging as well ref...

Role of Hormones in Aging Aging as well reflects the inefficiency of the endocrine system. A change in the hormonal secretions may contribute to the development of physical ai

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd