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

What do you mean by the spinal cord, Q. What is the spinal cord? Of which e...

Q. What is the spinal cord? Of which elements is the spinal cord constituted? The spinal cord is the dorsal neural cord of vertebrates it is the part of the central nervous sys

Explain about balanus, Explain Balanus The realised niche of Balanus ...

Explain Balanus The realised niche of Balanus is the same as its fundamental niche  Lower limits:   as for fundamental niche. Upper  limits: as for fundamental niche

Polyembryony, Polyembryony Presence of more than one embryo in a seed...

Polyembryony Presence of more than one embryo in a seed is termed polyembryony. The phenomenon, first discovered in orange seeds by Leeuwenhoek (1719), attracted considerable

Explain assessment of iron status - transferrin saturation, Explain assessm...

Explain assessment of iron status - Transferrin saturation? Transferrin saturation: As iron deficiency progresses, there is a decline in transferrin saturation. With deficiency

Is there a larval stage in echinoderms, Q. Is there a larval stage in echin...

Q. Is there a larval stage in echinoderms? In echinoderms embryonic development is indirect, with ciliated larvae.

What are the main functions of the cytoskeleton, Q. What are the main funct...

Q. What are the main functions of the cytoskeleton? As the name indicates, the cytoskeleton is accountable for the support of the normal shape of the cell it also acts as a fac

Explain academic dietitians, Teaching / academic dietitians Dietitians ...

Teaching / academic dietitians Dietitians process knowledge on all  aspects  01  nutrition  and dictetics.  They constantly keep  themselves updated  in  the necessary  informa

Adverse effects of air pollution, Air pollution affects both living and non...

Air pollution affects both living and non-living matter. The effects can be classified as.

Zoology, what is the term used for study of sponges,protozoa,colentreta,mol...

what is the term used for study of sponges,protozoa,colentreta,molusca,fish,aves,mammal

What is protein denaturizing, Secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure...

Secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures of proteins are spatial structures. Denaturizing is modification in any of these spatial structures that makes the protein deficient

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