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

Which is the autotrophic group responsible for production, Which is the aut...

Which is the autotrophic group responsible for the production of most part of the molecular oxygen of earth? Cyanobacteria and Algae of the phytoplankton are the organisms that

What are plant organs responsible for perception of light, What are plant o...

What are plant organs responsible for the perception of light variation? And what is the pigment responsible for this perception? The Leaves are mostly responsible for percepti

Excretion in prawn, EXCRETION IN PRAWN- A pair of antennary gland or gr...

EXCRETION IN PRAWN- A pair of antennary gland or green gland and a median renal sac present. Green glands lie at the base of antennae & open out by renal aperture.

Illustrate numerical taxonomy, Q. Illustrate Numerical Taxonomy? Taxono...

Q. Illustrate Numerical Taxonomy? Taxonomy today is, in many dctails, different from what it was a generation ago. The use of computers by taxonomists has established an intere

Enzyme specificity, Enzyme Specificity Enzymes play a critical role wit...

Enzyme Specificity Enzymes play a critical role within biological systems through helping reactions to occur beneath the commonly mild conditions in that organisms live. Enzyme

What are the classification of reasons of implant failure, Classification o...

Classification of the reasons of implant failure: In order to understand failures it is vital to know, why they occur. The reasons are plenty and to streamline, these have been

What are abiotic factors, What are abiotic factors? Abiotic factors are...

What are abiotic factors? Abiotic factors are the nonliving elements that constitute a given environment, as light, temperature, minerals, gases, water, atmospheric pressure, e

Concept of recombination frequency used in genetic mapping, How can the con...

How can the concept of recombination frequency be used in genetic mapping? The Genetic mapping is the determination of the location of the genes in a chromosome. Besides determ

Elongation: what is translocation, A Complex  of  elongation  factor  EF-G ...

A Complex  of  elongation  factor  EF-G  (also known as  translocase)  and  GTP example for  EF-G/GTP binds  to the  ribosome.  There are three concerted movements  now happen coll

What is the function of keratin in the epidermis, What is the function of k...

What is the function of keratin in the epidermis? The epidermis is the outer layer of the skin made of epithelial tissue. In the epidermis there are keratin-secreting cells (ke

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