The Significance of Water

The Significance of Water

Water is a molecule composed of two elements of hydrogen covalently

bonded with one element of oxygen. Because of the polarity created

from the covalent bond these molecules of water are all connected with

a hydrogen bond. A hydrogen bond is formed when two molecules are

attracted to oppositely charged components of another molecule. A

hydrogen bond has about 5% the strength of a covalent bond and is

responsible for some of the unique qualities found in water. It takes

a large amount of energy to break down the hydrogen bonds in water

allowing it to have a high specific heat, giving water its high

boiling point and allowing it to maintain a liquid form over a wide

range of temperatures. The hydrogen bonds also allow water to have

high surface tension. This happens because, although one hydrogen

bond is relatively weak, when many of these bonds are formed between

two molecules it causes the bonds to be sufficiently strong and quite

stable. Hydrogen bonding also influences cohesion, the clinging of a

water molecule to itself or adhesion, the clinging of a molecule to

another molecule.

Water is known as the “solvent for life” or the “universal solvent”.

Water is a good natural solvent because it exits in the liquid state

in its natural habitat. Another one of water’s reasons for being such

a good solvent is credited to its feature of having polar molecules.

When an ionic or polar substance is added to water it becomes the

solute. The high dielectric constant of water reduces the attraction

between one atom to the others in a molecule when submerged, making

water the excellent solvent it is. Wat...

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...t the required amounts of water needed to

sustain life. Water is the basis of many components in our body and

other living organisms, blood, the liquid in cells, the nutrients that

is consumed from plants, etc. The abnormal density of water is

helpful to keep water reusable. Most fresh water on earth is consumed

by glaciers and ice caps. If the solid form of water was not less

dense then the liquid state then water would freeze and sink from the

surface to the bottom and most likely never be used again. This trait

gives water a chance to melt and be reused. Ice floating on top of

water protects the liquid below the ice from being exposed to cold air

and potential becoming frozen through and through. Water is

significant in many ways and has unusual characteristics helping

living organisms maintain life on earth.