5 Properties of Water

1. Water's Attracted to Polar Molecules
2. High Specific Heat
3. High Heat of Vaporization
4. Lower Density of Ice
5. High Polarity

Cohesion - water's attraction between other water molecules. Because of water's polarity, is causes it to be attracted to other water molecules. The hydrogen bonds in water hold other water molecules together.

Due to water's cohesiveness

• Liquid water has surface tension, allows for insects like a Water Strider to be able to walk on water
• Water is a liquid at moderate temperatures, and not a gas

Adhesion - water's attraction between molecules of a different substance is called adhesion. Water is adhesive to any molecule it can form hydrogen bonds with.

Due to water's adhesiveness

• Capillary action occurs. For example, a narrow tube in water. The water will rise up the tube because of water's adhesiveness to the glass "climbing" up the tube.

Water can moderate temperature because of the two properties High Specific Heat and High Heat of Vaporization.

High Specific Heat - the amount of energy that is absorbed or lost by 1 gram of a substance to change the temperature by 1 degree Celsius. Water molecules form a lot of hydrogen bonds between one another and a lot of energy is needed to break the bonds. Breaking the bonds allow individual water molecules to move freely about and have a higher temperature. aka if there's a lot of individual water molecules moving about it cause more friction and more heat = higher temperature.

The hydrogen bonds between water molecules absorb the heat when they break and release heat when they form which minimizes temperature changes. Water helps maintain a moderate temperature of organisms and environments.

Water takes a long time to heat up and holds its temperature longer when heat is not applied.

High Heat of Evaporation - the amount of heat energy needed to change a gram of liquid into gas. Water also needs a lot of energy needed to break the hydrogen bonds. Evaporation of water off a surface causes a cooling effect. Like humans, when we get hot or energy inside our body is breaking chemical bonds, we sweat as a cooling effect; as the water evaporates off the the surface of the skin, it cools down the surface.

At cooler temperatures, the hydrogen bonds of water molecules form ice crystals. The hydrogen bonds are more stable and help keep the crystal like shape. Water at cooler temperatures form the solid, Ice. Ice is less dense than water because of the hydrogen bonds being spaced out and relatively apart. The low density allows icebergs to float and only the top part of lakes to be frozen.

Water is a polar molecule and has high polarity, attraction to ions, and other polar molecules.

Water can form hydrogen bonds which make it a powerful solvent. The water molecules surround closely around other molecules that has a full charge, like an ion, or partial charge, or polar. Salt (NA+ CL-) dissolves in water. Water molecules surround the salt molecules and separate the NA+ from the CL- by forming hydration shells around those two individual ions.