1

WATER, A FUNDAMENTAL
ELEMENT

INTRODUCTION
Throughout the universe there is one
molecule which man seeks above all others
for its discovery in the atmosphere of some
distant planet would immediately unleash
mankind's wildest dreams.
This molecule may be easily depicted as
a simple triangle distinguished by an
interatomic angle of 105 owing to the
electronegativity of two of its poles. If its
bonds were exclusively covalent, this angle
would be 90. The water molecule has an
electric moment that is reflected in its
physical and electric properties.

The formula for water can thus be very

simply written as H2 O.
Water - the very word brings to mind an
image born of recent space voyages the
picture of a blue planet: Earth.
Water is the most common mineral on
the earth's surface. It makes up the
hydrosphere. Its volume is estimated at
1370 million cubic kilometers; the volume
of fresh water distributed between rivers,
lakes and ground water is considered to be
between 500,000 and one million cubic
kilometers. The volume of

Chap. l; Water, a fundamental element

polar ice caps represents 25 million cubic

kilometers of fresh water. Finally, there are
50,000 cubic kilometers of water in the
atmosphere in the form of vapour and
clouds. Annual evaporation is estimated at
500,000 cubic kilometers and precipitation
on the continents is calculated at 120,000
cubic kilometers yearly.
Above all, however, water is a synonym
for biological life.
It is the major component of living
matter. On the average, it accounts for 80%
of its composition. In higher animals, the
percentage of water is between 60 and
70%. In marine organisms, such as jellyfish and certain algae, the proportions reach
extremes of 98%. On the other hand,
bacteria in a state of sporulation or
suspended animation, which

makes them resistant, experience a drop in

water content to 50%.
A principal element in the mineral and
biological worlds, water is also the
preeminent vector of life and human
activity. At present, the world's use of
water, counting domestic, industrial and
agricultural, totals an impressive 250 m3
per person per year. Moreover, disparities
are enormous: from 100 m3 for developing
countries to 1500 m3 for the United States.
Man's need for water is, thus, certain to
grow.
This makes it imperative that water be
protected. It must be treated, whether to
produce water for general consumption, or
for specific industrial uses or to limit the
discharge
of
pollution
into
the
environment.