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Unit 1
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Unit 1
Introduction
Water is one of the basic necessities required for the survival and maintenance of life on planet Earth. It is a colorless and odorless substance, which is found in liquid form and can be obtained from various sources like lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, seas, and oceans. It constitutes almost 71% of the surface of the Earth and is continuously recycled in the system by the water cycle, which includes evaporation, precipitation, transpiration, condensation and runoff (Polubarinova-Koch, 2015). Although the ratio of water found on the Earth's surface is very high only 2.5% out of it is fresh and drinkable, and the rest of it is saline, which is found in large water bodies like oceans and seas. The unique chemical structure of water assigns its valuable properties which makes it exclusive and different from other liquids and prove it essential for the existence of life.
Chemical Makeup of Water
Water is a chemical compound, which contains polar molecules. If placed at standard temperature, it is in liquid form. The solid state of water is known as ice and its gaseous state is called water vapor. The chemical composition of water is pretty simple and a single molecule of water consists of only 3 atoms of two substances, Hydrogen, and Oxygen. These three atoms of Hydrogen and Oxygen are combined together through a covalent bond. There are two Hydrogen atoms and one single Oxygen atom present in a water molecule.
The above diagram shows the arrangement of Oxygen and Hydrogen atoms in a water molecule.
The Oxygen atom present in the water molecule is more electron greedy than Hydrogen, which is why it carries a partial negative charge, whereas the Hydrogen atoms present in the molecule carry a positive charge (Collins, Neilson, & Enderby, 2007). Due to this polarity, the water molecule is referred to as a polar molecule. This phenomenon has been depicted in the above diagram.
Properties of Water
It has already been established that the unique chemical structure of water molecules is ideal and very much essential for supporting life on Earth or anywhere. In fact, it is the only liquid that has the ability to initiate and support various forms of life (Eisenberg, & Kauzmann, 2005). Some of the unique properties of this colorless liquid that enable it to carry on important functions of life have been listed below:
Water as a Solvent:
It is most probably the most important and useful property of water. Water acts as a very useful solvent and this specific property of this liquid makes it perfect for supporting life, as almost all the activities of initiating, sustaining and carrying on of life take place in an aqueous medium.
Water Cohesion:
Cohesion refers to the attraction of one water molecule to the other water molecules. This unique property of water allows the substance to remain in a liquid form at room temperature. It also allows various species like Water Striders, to walk on water.
Water Adhesion:
The ability or attraction of water molecules to other substances is known as adhesion. This property causes capillary action, which is very useful in the process of photosynthesis in plants.
References
Collins, K. D., Neilson, G. W., & Enderby, J. E. (2007). Ions in water: characterizing the forces that control chemical processes and biological structure. Biophysical chemistry, 128(2-3), 95-104.
Eisenberg, D., & Kauzmann, W. (2005). The structure and properties of water. Oxford University Press on Demand.
Polubarinova-Koch, P. I. (2015). Theory of ground water movement. Princeton University Press.
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