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Submitted by gusd41 on March 20, 2009
Due to the effects of electronegativity, particles are attracted to one another. When two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom come together, they covantly bond forming the universal solvent we know as water. The hydrogen atoms are quite a bit smaller compared to the oxygen atom, thus the electrons in this bond tend to orbit around the oxygen atom more often than the hydrogen atom. This uneven orbiting gives oxygen a partial negative charge, and gives the hydrogen atoms a partial positive charge making the H2O a polar molecule. As a result of water being polar, it is able to hydrogen bond with other polar molecules. Hydrogen bonding results in water having a high specific heat, which means a large amount of heat must be absorbed or released for the temperature of water to change thus the temperature of costal areas a quite cool despite the hot sun. In addition, high specific heat allows organisms to survive, because the chemical reaction created within the cell would produce an excessive amount of heat which would destroy the cell with the absence of water. Hydrogen bonds also create high heat of evaporation where a lot of heat must be absorbed for the water to evaporate. Evaporative cooling is used by organisms to stay cool, because when they sweat and the sweat turns into vapor, it absorbs the heat from the organisms’ skin. When water turns into ice, the hydrogen bonds form solid and a more spaced out matrix, making ice less dense than water, and allowing it to float. If ice was denser than water, it would sink and large bodies of water would become totally frozen, disabling aquatic life. Water cohesively bonds with like molecules like itself, and adhesively bonds with unlike molecules such as glass, causing capillary action. This property is important because it allows the distribution of water throughout plants and trees, making it possible for plant life to survive. In the pH scale, the pH of water is 7 which is neutral meaning it’s not too acidic and not too...
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