Properties Of Water

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Term Paper Title	Properties Of Water
# of Words	1131
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.52

Properties of Water

Properties of Water

     Water is essential for life as we know it on earth.  It is used by plants
and animals for basic biological processes which would be impossible without the
use of water.  The origin of all life can be traced back to the water in the
Earth's precambrien seas.  Water is also the universal solvent.  It reacts with
more elements and compounds than any other substance known to man.
     Water is a polar molecule made up of on atom of hydrogen and two atoms of
oxygen.  It is attracted to itself by hydrogen bonds.  Hydrogen bonds are weaker
than covalent bonds, but collectively these bonds hold water together and give
it its cohesiveness.  These bonds are also very important to water's ability to
absorb heat, as without hydrogen bonds water would have a boiling point of -80
degrees C and a freezing point of -100 degrees C.
     In reality, however, water has a boiling point of 100 degrees C and a
freezing point of 0 degrees C.  The amount of energy needed to raise the
temperature of one gram of water by one Celsius degree is called a Calorie.  One
Calorie is about twice as much energy as you need to warm one gram of most other
fluids by the same amount.  This makes water much better for regulating the
temperatures of animals and the environment.
     Water also has a very high heat of vaporization.  Converting one gram of
cold water into ice requires 80 Calories of energy.  Converting the same amount
of very hot water into steam requires 540.  The high amounts of energy required
to change water from its liquid state make water tend to stay a fluid.   The
process of freezing water involves slowing down the activity of the water
molecules until they contract and enter into a solid state.  Once the ice is
cooled down to 4 degrees or less, the hydrogen bonds no longer contract, but
they become rigid and open, and the ice becomes less dense.  Because the ice has
become less dense, it floats on liquid water.  Water freezes from the top down.
Once the top freezes, it acts as an insulator, so that the water beneath it
takes a very long time to cool off enough that it freezes.  This also traps just
enough warmth to keep marine animals alive during the winter.
     The process of turning water into steam is a different story.  Because it
requires the breaking of water's hydrogen bonds, this process takes far more
energy than it does to turn water into ice.  The extra energy that is used in
converting water into steam helps keep the ov...

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