3.7 Water

Water

Major component of cell

Polar molecule

Hydrogen bonds form between negative O and positive H to give balanced charge

Properties of water

Metabolite in many metabolic reactions

Important solvent

Relatively high specific heat capacity

Relatively large latent heat of vaporisation

Has strong cohesion between water molecules

Denser when liquid

Why water being a metabolite helps

Involves in condensation and hydrolysis reactions

Can combine smaller molecules or break larger molecule

Why water being an important solvent helps

Allows metabolic reaction to occur

Why water having a high specific heat capacity helps

Absorbs lots of heat energy for its temperature to rise and loses a lot to cool

This helps to reduce temperature fluctuations

Why water having a relatively large latent heat of vaporisation helps

Provides cooling effect with little loss of water though evaporation

Why water having a strong cohesion between H2O molecules helps

Supports columns of water in the tube-like transport of plants

Produces surface tension where water meets air