Water Structure

What is water the medium for?

life

Where did the first cells evolve in?

a water environment

What is water required for?

all metabolic reactions

What does it allow to be done for substances?

to be transported in and out of cells

Where do chemical and metabolic reactions work best in?

aqueous solutions

What is water made up of?

two hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to an oxygen atom

What is covalent bonding

the sharing of electrons

What happens to the sharing of these electrons?

they [electrons] are not shared equally

Why aren't they shared equally?

the electrons are more attracted to one atom (O₂) more than the other (H)

What does this result in?

polarity

What is this bond then?

a polar covalent bond

What is a polar molecule

a molecule that has one end that is negatively charged and another that is positively charged

What type of molecules are water?

polar molecules

What does the oxygen atom do?

attracts the electrons more strongly

Why do they attract the electrons stronger?

they have a higher electronegativity

What charge does this form?

a slightly negative charge

What do the HYDROGEN atoms have?

a weaker attraction towards the electrons

What charge does this form?

a slightly positive charge

What does this allow water to form?

weak attractionss with other polar molecules or charged ions

What do the slightly negative poles do?

attract the slightly positive poles of other molecules

What type of bond is this?

hydrogen bonds (intermolecular forces)

What are individual hydrogen bonds?

weak, constantly breaking and reforming

What are collective hydrogen bonds?

strong