Water: An Essay On Water And The Importance Of Water

Water is one of the most unique molecules known to man and also one of the most important to biological systems. Not only does water exist in nature in all three states of matter (solid, liquid, gas), it also covers 75 percent of the earth and composes roughly 78 percent of the human body.

Structure of Water

Water is a compound that consists of only two hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to one oxygen atom . These parts are considered polar, which means that one type of atom is positively charged and the other is negatively charged . In this case, the hydrogen atoms are positively charged and the oxygen is negatively charged. Because oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen, it has a greater pull on the shared electrons. The distinction between

In hydrolysis, for example , the addition of water is required in the breakdown of large biological molecules into monomers. In respiration, water is produced as a product and is essential for organisms, especially the ones living in dry habitats. In plants, water is necessary for the process of photosynthesis, which is to convert light energy into chemical energy and storing it in bonds of sugar. The process of photosynthesis is also made easier by the transparency of water. Transparency is a very important property, particularly, for plants and algae living in water. This is because sunlight could easily penetrate the transparent surface enabling these processes to take

Water is denser as a liquid than a solid. At 4°C, water is at its highest density and becomes less dense as the temperature decreases. This property is practical as it helps insulate aquatic organisms. This is because cold water forms ice at the surface. Furthermore, because water must expend a large amount of heat energy to freeze, it makes the process of ice crystallization less likely, which is extremely beneficial to membranes as this process could be quite