What’s so special about water?. Water, pH and Biological Molecules

Water As a Great Solvent Water will dissolve most substances as long as they are “water loving” like NaCl (table salt)

Water Has High Specific Heat It takes a lot of heat to change the temp of water by 1˚C. Holds huge amounts of heat. Water will absorb heat from the environment, leaving behind cooler air. It will release that heat at a later time to warm the air.

High Surface Tension-it’s difficult to break the surface of water with all the hydrogen bonding. Cohesion-water bonding to water Adhesion-water bonding to other substances that like it. Capillary action-ability of water through cohesion and adhesion to climb up against gravity.

Water Is Lighter as Solid than as a Liquid This means that ice forms an insulating blanket over water.

pH is a Big Deal It’s a measure of proton (hydrogen ion or H + ) concentration. In biology, keeping H + levels within a narrow range is critically important. Buffers help maintain our bodies pH. Low pH = lots of H + s pH of 7 is neutral high pH = few H + s.

Acids and Bases Neutral water has even numbers of H+ ions and OH- ions. An acid produces H+