Water Flashcards
(11 cards)
What are the biological properties of water?
Metabolite
Solvent
Relatively high SHC
Relatively large latent heat of vaporisation
Strong cohesion between molecules
What does metabolite mean?
water is a reactant / product in many key reactions
What does solvent mean?
dissolves many ions + polar molecules e.g. glucose, amino acids
What does relatively high SHC mean?
energy required to increase temp by 1°C per gram
What does relatively large latent heat of vaporisation mean?
energy require to change state
What does strong cohesion mean?
water molecules ‘sticking together’ due to lots of H bonds
Why is metabolite biologically important?
allows reactions to occur, including condensation and hydrolysis
Why is solvent biologically important?
allows metabolic reactions to occur
transports metabolites in blood between cells
Why is relatively high SHC biologically important?
buffers changes in temperature e.g. in lakes, making them habitable
Why is relatively large latent heat of vaporisation biologically important?
cooling effect through evaporation (sweating + transpiration)
Why is strong cohesion biologically important?
supports columns of water - transpiration stream in xylem
produces surface tension at air - water interface - allows animals to move over surface of water
