Biological importance of Water

Question 1

List 3 properties of water

Answer 1

Any 3 of the following:
Metabolic importance.
High heat capacity.
High heat of vaporization.
Cohesive properties.
Useful as a solvent.

Question 2

Why is water an important molecule?

Answer 2

It provides support in structure in cells and maintain’s an optimum temperature of an organism

Question 3

What are water molecules made of and why are the polar?

Answer 3

They are made of 2 hydrogens and 1 oxygen. It is polar because oxygen is slightly negatively charged and hydrogen is slightly positively charged.

Question 4

What is it meant when water is a good metabolite?

Answer 4

Water is used or formed in many metabolic reactions, such as condensation and hydrolysis reactions.

Question 5

How does high heat capacity in water help evolution?

Answer 5

Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat 1g of a substance must absorb or lose to change its temperature by 1^oC.
Water’s high heat capacity takes a long time to heat and cool. This is why land cools faster than the sea which helped underwater marine life to evolve.