Properties of Water and Its Importance to Life

Vocabulary flashcards covering why water is essential to life and the specific physical properties of water from the lecture transcript.

Good Solvent

A property of water enabling it to dissolve molecules, which is essential because many biological reactions require reagents to be in aqueous solution.

Density of Ice

The characteristic where water is less dense in solid form (ice) than in liquid form, allowing for aquatic life.

High Heat Capacity

A property of water that makes it hard to heat up due to hydrogen bonds requiring more energy to brake, allowing life to withstand changes in temperature.

Cohesion

The property of water molecules that allows them to stick together, which is important for water to move upwards in plants.

Specific Heat Capacity

The amount of heat needed to raise $1\,g$ of a substance's temperature by $1\,\text{degree Celsius}$.

Latent Heat of Vaporization

The amount of heat that must be transferred to a liquid substance at its boiling point to turn it into a gas, which is relevant for sweating to cool down.