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

List in sequential order the organelles, Starting from a ribosome in the cy...

Starting from a ribosome in the cytosol, list in sequential order the organelles and cellular components a secreted protein would encounter from translation to secretion.

Animals in the community - nature of community, Animals in the Community - ...

Animals in the Community - Nature and Structure of Community The animals in the community are directly or indirectly dependent on the plants also time their activities in such

Cobalt (co) - micronutrients, Cobalt (Co) - Micronutrients The Co conc...

Cobalt (Co) - Micronutrients The Co concentration in the dry matter of plants grown in soil normally lies around 0.02 to 0.5 ppm. In soils the content varies from 1 to 40 ppm.

Define basic terminology in relation to nutritional needs, Define Basic Ter...

Define Basic Terminology in Relation to Nutritional Requirements? By now you would have a good understanding that nutrient requirements are affected by a number of factors and

Explain why this essential that muscle cells, Explain why it is essential t...

Explain why it is essential that muscle cells, during anaerobic respiration, convert pyruvic acid (pyruvate) into lactic acid, even though the conversion results in an accumulation

How plant use day-night length to solve the paradox, How plants use the pat...

How plants use the pattern of changes in day/night length to solve the paradox that day length is equal twice a year. Plants possess the ability to balance the daily changes in

Explain the ecological approach in taxonomy, Explain the Ecological Approac...

Explain the Ecological Approach in Taxonomy You already known that the use of ecological data in classification has been used since the time of Plato who considered aquatic, te

Importance of family and patient education - food allergy, Define Importanc...

Define Importance of Family and Patient Education - Food Allergy? Remember, involvement of the family and all other relevant caretakers along with the patient is crucial for pr

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