Water

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Water
General
Systematic name	Water
Other names	aqua, dihydrogen monoxide, hydrogen hydroxide
Molecular formula	H2O
Molar mass	18.0153 g/mol18.015 amu
Appearance	Clear liquid
Properties
Density	1 g/ml62.428 lb/cu ft
Melting point	0°C273.15 K 32 °F 491.67 °R (273.15 K) (32 F)
Boiling point	100°C373.15 K 212 °F 671.67 °R (373.15 K) (212 F)
Triple point	0.01°C273.16 K 32.018 °F 491.688 °R (273.16 K) (32.018 F)

Water is both an essential and a unique molecule. All life on earth depends on water to survive and function properly. Plants need water to properly perform photosynthesis. Humans and animals need water to stay hydrated and for cellular respiration to work. Not only is water essential to life, it is unique to planet earth, another wonder of God’s work.

Water covers 71 % of the earth’s surface and for the most part is saltwater. It is mostly found in the world’s five oceans, although a fair portion is contained in glaciers, water molecules in the air, streams, rivers, lakes and the polar caps.

Contents 1 Properties 1.1 Cohesion and Adhesion 1.2 Freezing 1.3 Electrical Condctivity 2 Water on the Earth 3 Occurrences 4 Uses 4.1 Human Uses 4.1.1 Health Uses 4.1.2 Industrial and Recreational Uses 4.2 Animal Uses 5 Gallery 6 Related References 7 See Also

Properties

Water is a chemical that is composed of 3 elements, 2 hydrogen atoms and a oxygen atom. The 2 hydrogen atoms are covalently bonded to the oxygen atom. It is odorless, tasteless, clear, and a liquid at room temperature. When water drops to or below 0° Celsius, it freezes. At that point water becomes a solid and gains a cloudy white hue. When water reaches 100° Celsius or above, it begins to boil, at which it retains the same properties of water at room temperature. One of the most notable characteristics about water is the fact that it is considered the universal solvent. It dissolves almost any other substance including salts, sugars, acids, alkalis, some gases and many organic molecules.

Cohesion and Adhesion

Because of the fact that water is polar, it has a natural tendency to stick to other water molecules, (cohesion) and it has affinity for each other. This is why when water is splashed on a smooth surface, it tends to stick together in small clumps. It has a partial negative charge next to the oxygen atoms because of the arrangement of electrons. This is because the oxygen atom has a higher electronegativity than the two hydrogen atoms too, thus giving it a stronger pull. This pulls the electrons closer, and in turn makes the area around the element more negative than the hydrogen atoms. Because of these properties it also adheres to other elements. Water also has what is called surface tension, which refers to the fact that since the water molecules are cohesive, any object on the top of a body of water will experience a force exerting itself against it.

Freezing

A very important part of the property of water is when it freezes and forms ice. Because of the formation of the crystals in ice, ice floats, which is crucial to many aspects of the world, and it is vital to the north and south poles of the world. When ice forms, the lower temperatures make the water molecules form in a such a way that it is light and holds more air, which makes it float. A unique property of ice is that it is less dense than water, which is unusual because of the fact that every other solid is denser than that of its liquid form. A interesting side note is that when water is freezing, it solidifies from top to bottom, while the bottom of the water remains at a constant temperature of 4 degrees Celsius.

Electrical Condctivity

Most people take the assumption that water is a good conductor of electricity because of the fact that it is easy to be electrocuted if electricity touches the water. This is not actually the case. Water does self-ionize, which is the major role in being a good conductor, but not enough to make water actually considered one.

Water on the Earth

A large amount of the earth is made up of water. In fact, over two thirds of the surface of earth is covered by water. 97.2 percent of this water is made up by the water in the world's five oceans, the pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic, and Arctic oceans. The water in these oceans is all saltwater. The other 2.8 percent is made up of by lakes, rivers and streams on the continents, which is all fresh water. Of the 2.8 percent freshwater in the world, 90 percent of that water is the Antarctic ice sheet.

Occurrences

Water on the earth can take many different shapes and properties. A couple of them include glaciers and snow on the mountains, aquifers in the ground, seawater and icebergs in the ocean, pure water in lakes, rivers and streams, water vapor in the sky and clouds. Water finds its way into these different forms through the water cycle. The water cycle is the name given to the rotation of water in its different forms through the earth. A general idea of how it works is that water in open bodies of water such as seas, rivers and lakes, evaporates slowly over time. This water vapor ascends into the atmosphere and eventually becomes clouds. In turn, these newly formed clouds become dense and filled with water vapor, and eventually turn into rain clouds. These clouds then pour back the water into the rivers, seas, lakes, and the cycle starts over.

Different forms of water are found more commonly than others, and some places do not have certain forms of water. For example on the north and south poles, glaciers, seawater, hail, and snow are all very, very common, but rain is almost never found there because of the atmospheric conditions. In most countries, the most common forms of water include snow, rain, rivers, lakes, streams, and clouds. Also, an interesting form of water found commonly everywhere is a rainbow, which is suspended water molecules refracting the sunlight and acting as a prism.

Because of the fact that water is the universal solvent, it dissolves many different elements and minerals, which can give it a certain distinct color, taste or odor depending on where the water is from. This can also affect the effect that it has on life. For example, when water dissolves salt, as it is found in the ocean it becomes unhealthy for animals and people, and it in fact dehydrates life more. However, depending on what the water dissolves, it can also be considered healthier for you. Water that comes from mountain springs often has lots of dissolved minerals and vitamins in it, and because of this it is often thought of as healthier, which is the case depending on the source.

Uses

From a scientific standpoint, water has many, many different properties that are not only unique from any other substance, but also which make it essential to life. All known life needs water to survive. Water is the key factor in the process of metabolism. Also it is vital in photosynthesis and respiration. In photosynthesis, plants use the suns solar energy to split the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water to for glucose, food, and release oxygen. Living cells need water for the process of respiration, in which the sun's energy is used to reform water from oxygen and hydrogen atoms. It also is useful because of the fact that it is the universal solvent.

Human Uses

Water is essential to both the human body, and our civilization. We need it for our bodies to work and be in shape, and to run and power many different areas of technology.

Health Uses

Out of the entire human body, water takes up about 70 percent of it. Everyday the body needs several liters to function properly and to work efficiently, depending on the exercise and amount of working the person is doing. During the day you gain water through the foods you eat, making it unnecessary to drink multiple liters of straight water.

Industrial and Recreational Uses

A very efficient and eco-friendly way of obtaining energy from the world around involves harvesting the power that comes from a river or lake. Hydroelectric dams are set up all over the world and use water's flowing power to create motion which in turn produces electricity. This method of obtaining electricity is widely noted for its efficiency and safety for the environment. Water is also used in many machines and utensils that use high pressured water to make very precise cuts in things like rock or marble. Water is also used as a simple coolant.

Not only do humans use water biologically and industrially, we also use it for recreation. Water provides us with the ability to fish, surf, water ski, inner tube and to go boating, all of which are huge pastimes.

Animal Uses

Animals use water in the exact same ways that humans do, they need it to drink and to breath along with many other functions. The only exception that animals have is that some animals live in the water. Nearly all kinds of fish live in the water, with only a handful of exceptions. A large number of mammals live in the water also, such as dolphins and whales. There is also a group of animals called amphibians, which live part time under water and part time on land. Animals such as frogs, toads, and newts all fall into this category. These animals all have different ways of obtaining oxygen from the water they live in. Fish primarily have gills for gleaning oxygen from the water all around them. Some animals have both gills and lungs. All of the mammals that live in the ocean have lungs and are required to surface to the air to breathe.

There are also a huge amount of plants that live under the water, such as kelp and algae. This too need sunlight to live however, and thus have to be in shallow enough water that sunlight penetrates to their leaves.

Gallery

Deep Sea

Related References

• Water by Wikipedia
• Water Brittanica
• Water Properties by Marcy M. Seavy
• What is the Water Cycle? by Howard Perlman
• Water Properties and Behavior by Anthony Carpi

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See Also