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

Name the enzyme present in saliva, Name the enzyme present in saliva and sa...

Name the enzyme present in saliva and say what type of food it acts on.   The enzyme in saliva is salivary amylase and it acts on starch.

Clinic blood pressure management, Raised blood pressure is a major risk fac...

Raised blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The higher the blood pressure, the higher the risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, kidney disease, heart

Acute glomerulonephritis - disorder of glomerulus, Acute Glomerulonephritis...

Acute Glomerulonephritis   If you review the anatomy of urinary system you will recall that nephron is the working unit of kidney and its number  exists  in millions. Within  t

Illustrate the major cells of the nervous system, Q. Illustrate the major c...

Q. Illustrate the major cells of the nervous system? The major cells of the nervous system are the neurons. as well the neurons the nervous system is also constituted of glial

What is the difference between amnion and chorion, Q. What is the differenc...

Q. What is the difference between amnion and chorion? Amnion is the membrane that covers the embryo and Chorion is the membrane that covers the amnion the allantois and the yol

Determine the resonance frequency analysis, Resonance Frequency Analysis ...

Resonance Frequency Analysis Resonance Frequency Analysis: A non invasive device based on the principles of resonance frequency analysis (RFA) has been developed to measure pri

Respiratory care on admission of patient, Respiratory Care on Admission (Fi...

Respiratory Care on Admission (First two hours) Patient is incubated and ventilator-dependent.  Monitor blood gases hourly and take corrective action immediately.

How do antibodies work to neutralize antigens, Q. How do antibodies work to...

Q. How do antibodies work to neutralize antigens? The immunoglobulins or antibodies act to facilitate the destruction of antigens: they attract phagocytic leukocytes, they dire

Contemporary interests in nutritional biochemistry, Contemporary Interests ...

Contemporary Interests in Nutritional Biochemistry As  newer techniques in biochemistry have emerged from time to time, these were of immense help  in  the  understanding of ut

Define the starch gel electrophoresis, Define the Starch gel electrophoresi...

Define the Starch gel electrophoresis? Starch gel has the advantage of fine texture and absence of protein adsorption with a molecular sieving effect retarding proteins of larg

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