Properties of Water Lab

Introduction
Water is a simple molecule, yet it’s most vital to all living things. It has the
highest specific heat capacity of everyday substances. Unique properties of water enable it to
carry out functions that no other substances can. In a neutral aqueous solution, 5 molecules of
water are bonded together by weak hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, due to the electronegativity of
oxygen, water is a polar molecule. Due to its polarity, water is classified as the universal solvent.
You will investigate the life-sustaining properties of water throughout this lab.

Part One: Polarity

Label the diagram of water below. Make sure you label the oxygen, hydrogen atoms as well as
the partial charges which creates water’s polarity.

1. What causes polarity?

2. Why does polarity allow water to be such a good solvent?

3. Measure out 10g of NaCl and add this to a beaker with 100ml of water. [*Keep this salt
solution for part 3!]
a. Stir the salt to dissolve. Record how long it takes to dissolve all the salt.
_____________________________

b. Which is the solute? ___________________ solvent? ________________

Part Two: Hydrogen Bonding, Expansion on Freezing
Water tends to “hang-out” in groups of five molecules. This is due to hydrogen bonding. Label
the 4 hydrogen bonds shown in the diagram below. Explain what a hydrogen bond is (as
compared to covalent and ionic bonds).

HYDROGEN IONIC COVALENT

Density
Water is one of the few substances that are less dense as a solid than as a liquid. While most
substances contract when they solidify, water expands. This property is due to the hydrogen
bonding between water molecules.

1. Place an ice cube into a beaker of water. What happened?

2. Explain why this property is important to aquatic organisms.

Part Three: Adhesion, Cohesion, Surface Tension
Adhesion is the ability of water to stick to other substances. For examples, water can stick to the
side of a swimming pool. Cohesions is the ability of water molecules to stick to themselves (H-
bonds). Cohesion causes the surface of the water to have tension and tests can be done to
measure the relative tension of different aqueous solutions. In this portion of the lab, you will test
these three properties and apply them to the concept of capillary action.

Procedure: Obtain 2 pennies, 2 pipettes, and a beaker of tap water and some paper towel. You
will also need your solution of salt water made in part one.

Use your pipette to drop tap water onto a penny, one drop at a time, count how many drops you
can add before any water spills over the edge. Record the number of drops in your data table.
Repeat this 4 more times and find the average number of drops of tap water a penny will hold.
Be sure to completely dry your penny between each trial. Repeat with your solution of salt water
an then answer the questions below.

Trials Tap Water Salt Water

Average

Draw a diagram of your penny with tap water on it right before you think the water will spill
over the side of the penny.

1. Which type of water had more cohesion? How do you know?

Part Three: Surface Tension Continued
Procedure:
1. Fill a petri dish with tap water. Gently try to float a clean, dry, paperclip on the surface of
the water. Tip: Lower paperclip so that the entire surface hits the water at the same time.
2. After you are successful, revel in your success! Then, carefully add one drop of detergent
solution to the dish. Record your observations below. **After finishing, rinse out the
petri dishes and the paperclip to thoroughly remove the soap.
Observations:

Question: Explain what happened in terms of water chemistry. Why does the paperclip float?
Can you explain what happens when you add the detergent? [Soaps are amphipathic molecules,
meaning that they possess both a charged or polar region at one end and a non-polar region at the
other.]

Part Four: Capillary Action

Water has the ability to stick onto things (adhesion) and stick to itself (cohesion). These two
properties together allow water to defy gravity and climb up tubes of small diameter. This is
called capillary action. Vascular plants evolved tissue called XYLEM as a way to transport
water.
Directions: Observe the stalk of celery placed in the beaker of water with food colouring.
1. What do you notice about where the dye is travelling?

2. Use capillary action to explain how water (with dye) travelled towards the leaves.
Part Five: Specific Heat of Water
Water has a high heat of vaporization - the energy required to convert liquid water to a gas.
Water's high heat of vaporization helps moderate the earth's climate.

Part 1

Evaporation rates of water versus ethanol

Let’s examine the relative heats of vaporization of water and ethanol as follows:

1. Simultaneously stick one cotton swab into a beaker of water while doing the same with a
second cotton swab in a beaker of ethanol

2. Gently draw thin lines of liquid (a few cm long) with each swab on your desk top and record
how long it takes for each line to evaporate.

Questions:

1. Which substance had the higher heat of vaporization?

2. Based on your results explain why water is a much more effective coolant than alcohol
for the body.

Part 2

Water has a high specific heat capacity. Specific heat is a measure of heat capacity, is the heat
required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1°C. Water, with its high heat capacity,
therefore, changes temperature more slowly than other compounds.

Questions:

3. Think about what happens when you boil water for pasta. Which becomes hot first, the
pot or the water in the pot?

4. Explain why this property of water is important to living organisms?

Part Five: Specific Heat of Water Continued
For such a small molecule, water has a very high specific heat. This means it takes a lot of
energy to raise the temperature of water. Another important property is the range of temperature
for which water remains a liquid. When water evaporates, like from sweat, it also removes a lot
of heat from our body. Using the data table below, create a graph to demonstrate the heating
curve of water. The water starts out as ice and is heated until it is all water vapor. When you are
finished with the graph, label the areas on the graph as: ice, water, steam, melting, or
evaporating. Don’t forget to give it a title and completely label the axes.

1. At what temperature does ice melt? How do you know?

2. At what temperature does water boil? How do you know?

3. How does water’s specific heat relate to its usefulness for life? (give as many examples
as possible)
Summary- Complete and submit your responses to the 3 summary questions.
**complete on a separate sheet, including your name and title.
Pulling it all Together
1. List three things that you discovered about water? [3 marks]

2. Which property of water do you find most interesting? Why? [2 marks]

3. How do the characteristics of water help the body? [5 marks]