WATER

Mr. HAMUTETE. N
BSc HB(LAMU)
DTVT(EH)
OBJECTIVES

I. Define water

II. Describe the chemical composition of water

III. Describe the shape of water

IV. Describe the polarity of water

V. Describe the properties of water

I. INTRODUCTION
What is water?

 Water is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless

chemical substance that is essential for the
survival of most known forms of life.
 It is a liquid at room temperature
 All organisms on Earth are made up mostly of
water
 The amount of water present in the human body
ranges from about 50-75%
II. COMPOSITION OF
WATER
What is water composed of?
 Water is a simple molecule, containing just three
atoms: Note atoms make up molecules!
 Two hydrogen and;
 One oxygen.
 The molecular formula of water is H2O
 At room temperature is odorless, tasteless and
nearly colorless. But although it appears
colorless, water has a very faint blue color,
which becomes more apparent in large volumes
of water
III. SHAPE OF
WATER
Describe the Shape of water

 Water or H2O is made by the covalent bonds

between 2 Hydrogen atoms and an Oxygen atom
 The 2 Hydrogen's are attached to the Oxygen at
an angle of 104.5o

O or
H H
 Water or H2O is made by the covalent bonds
between 2 hydrogen atoms attached to the
oxygen.
 Because of the other four electrons in the second
orbital of oxygen, the hydrogen are bonded to
the oxygen at an angle of 104.5 degrees
 This gives water its V shape as shown.
IV. POLARITY OF
WATER
Polarity of water
 Water is a polar molecule
 Polar simply means having electrical charge
 A polar bond is a covalent bond in which there
is a separation of electrical charge between one
end and the other
 Water is a "polar" molecule, meaning that there
is an uneven distribution of electron density.
 Water’s shape and the electro-negativity of
oxygen means that the O is partially negative
and the H’s are each partially positive.
Recap on Electro-negativity Trend In The
Periodic Table
The hydrogen ends of the molecule are positive
and the oxygen end is negative. This causes
water molecules to attract each other and other
polar molecules.
In living systems, Oxygen & Nitrogen are
electronegative.

They pull the electrons of the covalent

bond closer to their nuclei, giving O and
N a partial negative charge.

The attached Hydrogen's therefore have a

partial positive charge.
Concept Check

Which of these molecules are polar and

which are non-polar?
a) CH3CH2-O-H = Ethanol
b) CH3CH2-N-H = Ethyl amine
H H
c) H-C=O = Formal-aldehyde
Concept Check answers

a) Ethyl alcohol is polar because of –O-H

(Alcohol of wine, liquor, etc. which is very
soluble in water, antiseptic, disinfectant,
sterilizer)
b) Ethyl amine is polar because of –N-H
(Found in rubber products, herbicides, used as
food additive, acts as a neurotransmitter in its
cyclic form which is phenylethylamine)
c) Formaldehyde is NOT polar because there is
no H attached to the O
V. PROPERTIES OF
WATER
Overview!

There are 6 properties of water that result from its

hydrogen bonds:
1. Solvent of life
2. Adhesion and cohesion
3. High specific heat
4. High heat of vaporization
5. Surface tension
6. Ice floats
1. Solvent of life(universal solvent)
 The fact that water has positive and negative
charges makes it an excellent solvent.
 Polar and ionic molecules that have electrostatic
chares are attracted to the charges on the water
molecule
 They dissolve readily in water and are therefore
said to be hydrophilic (water-loving)
 Non-polar molecules such as oil have no charge,
therefore they do not dissolve readily and are
said to be hydrophobic
Hydrophilic molecules are “water-loving”
◦ Ions such as Na+, K+, Ca++, Cl-
◦ Polar molecules such as glucose, amino acids
2. Adhesion and Cohesion
 cohesion is when water sticks to itself by
hydrogen bonds
 adhesion is when water adheres (sticks) to other
polar molecules
 Importance
 trees can bring water from their roots to their
leaves.
 capillary action
 Maintanance of cell menbranes
capillary action
3. High Specific Heat
 Heat capacity of a substance is the amount of
heat energy required to raise the temperature by
a given amount.
 Specific heat capacity of water is the amount of
heat energy required to raise the temperature of
1kg of water by 1ºC
 Water has a relatively high specific heat
capacity=4.19KJ/Kg ºc
For water to boil, it must be moving fast enough
to break the hydrogen bonds keeping it liquid so
it can become steam.
It takes a lot of heat to get water moving that
quickly. This is the high specific heat.
This means that water is slow to heat up and
also slow to cool down and freeze.
Life can exist on most of the earth because of
water’s high specific heat. eg
Temperature regulation:
Climate regulation
Cooking and heating
Industrial processes
4. High Heat of Vaporization
 Heat of vaporization is a measure of the amount
of heat energy required to vaporize a liquid i.e.
change it from liquid to gas
 In the case of water it involves a change from
liquid water to water vapor
 Hydrogen bonds have to be broken before
molecules can escape as gas
 Water has a high heat of vaporization as a result
of its high specific heat capacity (2260
Kj/Kg=40.8 Kj/mol)
People and other organisms can use
water’s high heat of vaporization to cool
themselves.
We open sweat glands on our skin and
allow water to evaporate taking excess
body heat with it.
◦ Without perspiration (sweating), we can
overheat and die.
◦ Sweat has to evaporate to cool us
Perspiration
5. Surface Tension

Surface Tension is the property of the surface of

a liquid that allows it to resist an external force,
due to the cohesive nature of its molecules.
The molecules at the surface of a glass of water
do not have other water molecules above them and
consequently they cohere (stick) more strongly to
those directly associated with them.
Water makes strong hydrogen bonds with itself
but not the air at the surface.
These strong bonds acts as an invisible film
(barrier)
Organisms like the water strider can live on the
water
Surface tension also makes water form drops
Example of surface tension
6. Ice Floats
 Ice floats because it is less dense than liquid
water. When water freezes, its molecules slow
down and form a crystal lattice structure, which
creates pockets of air between the molecules.
 These pockets of air decrease the overall density
of the ice compared to liquid water.
 In liquid water, the molecules are more closely
packed together, and there are no pockets of air
between them..
 This makes liquid water denser than ice. As a
result, when water freezes and turns into ice, it
floats on top of the liquid water.
 This property of ice is essential for life in bodies
of water, such as lakes and oceans. When the
surface of a body of water freezes, the ice floats,
creating an insulating layer that protects the
water beneath it from freezing solid.
 This allows aquatic life to survive during cold
winter months.
 One reason the polar bear is endangered is that
global warming is melting the ice from which it
hunts.
THANK YOU!!!