The document discusses several key properties of water that contribute to Earth's suitability for life. It explains that water's polar covalent bonds allow it to form hydrogen bonds between molecules. These hydrogen bonds give water properties like cohesion, the ability to moderate temperature through heat absorption and evaporative cooling, and being a universal solvent. The document also discusses how acids and bases affect pH and buffering in aqueous solutions.
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Ap biology 3 water and life
1. 2016-12-20
1
BIOLOY
À³Ë¼¹ú¼Ê½ÌÓýAPÏîÄ¿
ALBERT ÀÏʦ
4000-663-098
BIOLOGY
À³Ë¼¹ú¼Ê½ÌÓýAPÏîÄ¿
ALBERT ÀÏʦ
4000-663-098
3.1 Polar covalent bonds in water molecules result in hydrogen
bonding
3.2 Four emergent properties of water contribute to Earth¡¯s
suitability for life
3.3 Acidic and basic conditions affect living organisms
As astronomers study newly discovered planets orbiting
distant stars, they hope to find evidence of water on thesefar-
off celestial bodies, for water is the substance that makes
possible life as we know it here on Earth. All organisms
familiar to us are made mostly of water and live in an
environment dominated by water. Water is the biological
medium here on Earth, and possibly on other planets as well.
The water molecule is deceptively
simple. It is shaped like a wide V.
These arepolar covalent bonds.This
unequal sharing of electrons and
water¡¯s V-like shape make it apolar
molecule.
The properties of water arise from
attractions between oppositely charged
atoms of different water molecules. The
two molecules are thus held together by
a hydrogen bond . When water is in its
liquid form, itshydrogen bondsare
very fragile, each about 1/20 as strong as
a covalent bond.
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Why is it unlikely that two neighboring water molecules
would be arranged like this ?
We will examine four emergent properties of water that
contribute to Earth¡¯s suitability as an environment for life:
cohesive behavior, ability to moderate temperature,
expansion upon freezing, and versatility as a solvent.
Water molecules stay close to each other as a result of
hydrogen bonding. Although the arrangement of molecules in
a sample of liquid water is constantly changing, at any given
moment many of the molecules are linked by multiple
hydrogen bonds. These linkages make water more structured
than most other liquids. Collectively, the hydrogen bonds hold
the substance together, a phenomenon calledcohesion.
Evaporation from leaves pulls
water upward from the roots
through water-conducting cells.
Because of the properties of
cohesion and adhesion, the
tallest trees can transport water
more than 100 m upward.
Adhesion, the clinging of one
substance to another, also plays a role.
Adhesion of water to cell walls by
hydrogen bonds helps counter the
downward pull of gravity . Related to
cohesion issurface tension, a
measure of how difficult it is to
stretch or break the surface of a liquid.
Anything that moves haskinetic energy, the energy of
motion.Heatis a form of energy. For a given body of matter,
the amount of heat is a measure of the matter¡¯s total kinetic
energy due to motion of its molecules.Temperatureis a
measure of heat intensity that represents the average kinetic
energy of the molecules, regardless of volume.Thespecific heat
of a substance is defined as the amount of heat that must be
absorbed or lost for 1 g of that substance to change its
temperature by 1¡ãC.
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An
Evaporative coolingof water contributes to the stability of
temperature in lakes and ponds and also provides a mechanism
that prevents terrestrial organisms from overheating. For
example, evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant helps
keep the tissues in the leaves from becoming too warm in the
sunlight. Evaporation of sweat from human skin dissipates
body heat and helps prevent overheating on a hot day or when
excess heat is generated by strenuous activity.
Floating of Ice on Liquid Waterdue to
its lower density is an important factor in
the suitability of the environment for life.
If ice sank, then eventually all ponds,
lakes, and even oceans would freeze solid,
making life as we know it impossible on
Earth. Besides insulating the water below,
ice also provides solid habitat for some
animals, such as polar bears and seals.
A liquid that is a completely homogeneous mixture of two or
more substances is called asolution. The dissolving agent of a
solution is thesolvent, and the substance that is dissolved is
the solute. In this case, water is the solvent and sugar is the
solute. Anaqueous solutionis one in which water is the
solvent.
The sphere of water molecules
around each dissolved ion is called a
hydration shell.Working inward
from the surface of each salt crystal,
water eventually dissolves all the
ions. The result is a solution of two
solutes, sodium cations and chloride
anions, homogeneously mixed with
water, the solvent.
Even molecules as large as proteins
can dissolve in water if they have
ionic and polar regions on their
surface . Many different kinds of
polar compounds are dissolved
(along with ions) in the water of
such biological fluids as blood, the
sap of plants, and the liquid within
all cells. Water is the solvent of life.
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Any substance that has an affinity for water is said to be
hydrophilic(from the Greek hydro, water, and philios, loving).
In some cases, substances can be hydrophilic without actually
dissolving. Such a mixture is an example of a colloid, a stable
suspension of fine particles in a liquid. Substances that are
nonionic and nonpolar (or otherwise cannot form hydrogen
bonds) actually seem to repel water;these substances are said to
be hydrophobic.
We know the mass of each atomin a given molecule, so we
can calculate themolecular mass, which is simply the sum of
the masses of all the atoms in a molecule.Molarity¡ªthe
number of moles of solute per liter of solution¡ªis the unit of
concentration most often used by biologists for aqueous
solutions.
hydrogen ion (H+) hydroxideion(OH-) hydroniumion (H3O+)
An acid is a substance that
increases the hydrogen ion
concentration of a solution. A
substance that reduces the
hydrogen ion concentration of a
solution is called abase.In any
aqueous solution at 25¡ãC, the
product of theH+ and OH-
concentrations is constant at 10-14
A bufferis a substance that minimizes changes in the
concentrations ofH+ and OH-_x0002_ in a solution. It does so by
accepting hydrogen ions from the solution when they are in excess
and donating hydrogen ions to the solution when they have been
depleted.
When CO2 dissolves in
seawater, it reacts with
water to form carbonic acid,
which lowers ocean pH, a
process known asocean
acidification.Acid
precipitationrefers to rain,
snow, or fog with a pH
lower (more acidic) than
5.2.
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