Water Essentials Exam 1 Review

Flashcards covering essential concepts about water, its properties, and significance for life on Earth, derived from lecture notes.

Chemical Formula of Water

H2O

Water on Earth's Surface

Makes up 75% of Earth's surface.

Saltwater Percentage

Constitutes 97.5% of Earth's water.

Freshwater Percentage

Constitutes 2.5% of Earth's water.

Water's Polarity

Neutral overall but has areas of partial charge, making it a polar molecule.

Electronegativity of Oxygen

Gives polarity (intramolecular) to the water molecule.

Hydrogen Bonds

Intermolecular forces of attraction created between the positive hydrogen and negative oxygen of different polar molecules (like water) or within regions of one polar molecule.

Polar Functional Groups

Functional groups containing F (Fluorine), O (Oxygen), or N (Nitrogen) along with H (Hydrogen), exhibiting polarity due to differences in electronegativity.

Covalent Bond

A chemical bond created by shared electrons between atoms.

Versatile Solvent

One of water's properties, allowing it to dissolve many substances.

Cohesion and Adhesion

Properties of water where molecules are attracted to each other (cohesion) and to other surfaces (adhesion).

High Specific Heat Capacity

A property of water meaning it can absorb and release large amounts of heat with only slight changes in its own temperature.

High Boiling Point and Heat of Vaporization

Properties of water that allow it to remain liquid over a wide temperature range and require a lot of energy to change from liquid to gas.

Good Evaporative Coolant

A property of water due to its high heat of vaporization, allowing it to remove heat from a surface as it evaporates.

High Melting Point and Heat of Fusion

Properties of water meaning it requires significant energy to change from solid to liquid.

Expansion at Freezing

A unique property of water where its solid form (ice) is less dense than its liquid form, causing it to float.

Transparency of Liquid Water

A property that allows light to pass through, essential for aquatic photosynthesis.

Water's Role in Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

Water is a reactant in photosynthesis and a product in cellular respiration.