Characteristics of Water

School of Civil and

Dr. Daneal F.Sillassie Environmental Engineering
The Amazing Properties of Water
• Why do people say that water is necessary for life?
• Why have we never found any living organism that can
flourish in a completely dry environment?
• How is it that something odorless, colorless, tasteless and
relatively un reactive makes up 60% of our body mass?
• Why could another liquid not be used?
• Why water?
 
The Amazing Properties of Water
It is the only natural substance found in all three physical
states at the temperatures that naturally occur on Earth.

• This means that we see water as a liquid, in rivers and seas, a

solid, as snow and ice, and as a gas, as clouds or steam.
• If this was not the case the water cycle would be completely
different (what if water didn't evaporate in the sun?); snow
and ice might not exist (and thousands of species would now
be homeless) and weather would be very different (would it
still rain?). Can you think of anything else that would be
different? Do you think we could still live if water was only a
liquid at the temperatures that occur naturally on Earth? What
about only a gas/solid?
 
The Amazing Properties of Water
Ice is less dense than water

• This just means that ice floats on water and that lakes
freeze from the top down to the bottom.
• This is clearly important for animals that live on ice, as their
habitats would be greatly reduced or not exist at all if ice
sank.
• Similarly, fish and other pond-life would be affected if lakes
and ponds froze from the bottom upwards - the layer of
frozen water at the top of the pond provides some
insulation and prevents the rest of the water getting cold as
quickly.
The Amazing Properties of Water
• In fact, water gets more dense at it is cooled until it
reaches 4∘ C (which you can see on the graph), after which
it gets less dense again. Most substances get progressively
more dense as they are cooled. The graph below shows
how density of water changes with temperature.
 
 
The Amazing Properties of Water
Water has a very high melting and boiling point compared
to other similar molecules

• This is what means it is seen as a solid, a liquid and a gas on

Earth.
• If water was not a liquid at most of the temperatures we
see on Earth the seas would all be ice, there would be no
rain, nothing for plants to collect and animals to drink.
 
The Amazing Properties of Water
It is called the 'universal solvent' because it is capable of
dissolving so many substances.

• The water in our bodies is mostly contained in our cells,

where it gives them a clear shape as well as having billions
of useful molecules dissolved in it.
• Our cells need to be filled with water to work properly
because the enzymes inside them only work in solution.
• Water is also the means by which transport occurs in our
bodies' blood is mostly water and has hormones and gasses
dissolved in it as well as toxins such as urea, which are
removed from the body with yet more water.
The Amazing Properties of Water
Water has a high specific heat capacity.

•  All it means is that it takes a lot of energy to make water a

little bit warmer.
• This is why on a hot day the sand on a beach can be too hot
to walk on but the sea still feels cool;
• the energy from the sun is enough to heat the sand a lot
but the water only a little.
• This has some very important implications, especially for
organisms that live in water.
The Amazing Properties of Water
Water has a high specific heat capacity.

• Seas, lakes and rivers maintain a much more constant

temperature than air, which means that animals can live in
water all year round without having to adapt to large
temperature changes
• (What do you think would happen if water cooled more
easily? What problems might this pose to organisms living in a
small pond?). This also means that our body temperature is
reasonably difficult to change quickly and hence makes our
brain's job of maintaining a constant body temperature much
easier (What might happen if our body temperature changed
quickly and easily?).
 
The Amazing Properties of Water
Surface tension

• You might have noticed that if you put a needle on the surface
of a bowl of water it floats but if you throw it in it sinks.
• This is because the needle is denser than water so wants to
sink but is held up by the surface tension of the water.
• Surface tension is a property that means the surface of water
does not want to break - it is 'sticky'.
• The high surface tension of water is the reason that some flies
can land on its surface without sinking. This concept is also
very closely related to another, the idea of capillary action.
 
The Amazing Properties of Water
Capillary action

• Similarly to surface tension, this revolves around the idea

that molecules of water 'stick' together.
• If you put a very fine tube into a beaker of water you will
see that some of the water travels a short way up the tube;
this is called capillary action and is caused by the water
clinging to the sides of the tube and to other molecules of
water, pulling them up the tube with it.
• Eventually the weight of the water being pulled is too great
to be supported and the water stops moving, having
reached an equilibrium. This same principle allows plants to
draw water up from the ground;
The Amazing Properties of Water
But why?

• All of these properties of water are critical for life as we

know it but why does water have them?
• Does no other substance also do these things?
• What is it about water that makes it different?
• To understand the answers to these questions you have to
study the molecular structure of water. 
 
The Amazing Properties of Water
The Amazing Properties of Water
 Characteristics of Water
Boiling Point and Freezing Point
• And we all know that the boiling point of water is 100°C.
• So despite its small molecular weight, water has an
incredibly big boiling point.
• This is because water requires more energy to break its
hydrogen bonds before it can then begin to boil.
 Characteristics of Water
• The same concept is applied to freezing point as well, 0 °C .
• The boiling and freezing points of water enable the
molecules to be very slow to boil or freeze, this is
important to the ecosystems living in water.
• If water was very easy to freeze or boil, drastic changes in
the environment and so in oceans or lakes would cause all
the organisms living in water to die.
• This is also why sweat is
able to cool our bodies.
 Characteristics of Water
Surface Tension, Heat of Vaporization, and Vapor Pressure
• Besides mercury, water has the highest surface tension for
all liquids.
• Water's high surface tension is due to the hydrogen
bonding in water molecules.
• Water also has an exceptionally high heat of vaporization.
• Vapor pressure is inversely related to intermolecular
forces, so those with stronger
intermolecular forces have
a lower vapor pressure.
 Characteristics of Water
• Viscosity is the property of fluid having high resistance to
flow.
• We normally think of liquids like honey or motor oil being
viscous, but when compared to other substances with like
structures, water is viscous.
• Liquids with stronger intermolecular interactions are
usually more viscous than liquids with weak intermolecular
interactions.
 Characteristics of Water
• Cohesion: is intermolecular forces between like molecules;
this is why water molecules are able to hold themselves
together in a drop.
• Water molecules are very cohesive because of the
molecule's polarity.
• This is why you can fill a glass of water just barely above
the rim without it spilling.
 Characteristics of Water
Solid State (Ice)
• All substances, including water, become less dense when
they are heated and more dense when they are cooled.
• So if water is cooled, it becomes more dense and forms ice.
• Water is one of the few substances whose solid state can
float on its liquid state! Why?
• Water continues to become more dense until it reaches4°C.
• After it reaches 4°C, it becomes LESS 
dense, the volume of water increases about 9%.
• So molecules are more tightly packed in water's liquid state
than its solid state.
• This is why a can of soda can explode in the freezer.
 Characteristics of Water
Liquid State (Liquid Water)
• It is very rare to find a compound that lacks carbon to be a
liquid at standard temperatures and pressures.
• So it is unusual for water to be a liquid at room
temperature!
• Water is liquid at room temperature so it's able to move
around quicker than it is as solid.
 Characteristics of Water
Gas State (Steam)
• As water boils, its hydrogen bonds are broken.
• Steam particles move very far apart and fast, so barely any
hydrogen bonds have the time to form.
• So, less and less hydrogen bonds are present as the
particles reach the critical point above steam.
• The lack of hydrogen bonds explains why steam causes
much worse burns that water.
 Characteristics of Water
Water as the "Universal Solvent"
• Because of water's polarity, it is able to dissolve many
particles.
• Oxygen has a slightly negative charge, while the two
hydrogen's have a slightly positive charge.
• The slightly negative particles of a compound will be
attracted to water's hydrogen atoms, while the slightly
positive particles will be attracted to water's oxygen
molecule; this causes the compound to dissociate.
 Characteristics of Water
Why is this important for the real world?
• The properties of water make it suitable for organisms to
survive in during differing weather conditions.
• Ice expands as it freezes, which explains why ice is able to
float on liquid water.
• During the winter when lakes begin to freeze, the surface
of the water freezes and then moves down toward deeper
water; this explains why people can ice skate on or fall
through a frozen lake.
 Characteristics of Water
Why is this important for the real world?
• If ice was not able to float, the lake would freeze from the
bottom up killing all ecosystems living in the lake.
• However ice floats, so the fish are able to survive under the
surface of the ice during the winter.
• The surface of ice above a lake also shields lakes from the
cold temperature outside and insulates the water beneath
it, allowing the lake under the frozen ice to stay liquid and
maintain a temperature adequate for the ecosystems living
in the lake to survive.
The END