As Biology - Biological Molecules - Water
- Created by: Katrina Mc Nair
- Created on: 02-07-11 18:37
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Four functions of water:
- Water is a reactant in loads of important chemical reactions, like photosynthesis, and hydrolysis reactions.
- Water is a solvent, which means some substances dissolve in it. Most biological reactions take place in solution, so water's pretty essential.
- Water transports substances. The fact that it's a liquid and a solvent means it can easily transport all sorts of materials, like glucose and oxygen, around plants and animals.
- Water helps with temperature control. It carries away heat energy when it evaporates from a surface. This cools the surface and helps to lower the temperature.
Simple structure:
- A molecule of water is one atom of oxygen joined to two molecules of hydrogen by shared electrons.
- Because the shared negative hydrogen electrons are pulled towards the oxygen atom, the other side of each hydrogen atom is left with a slight positive charge.
- The unshared negative electrons on the oxygen atom give it a slight negative charge.
- This makes water a polar molecule - it has a negative charge on one side and a positive charge on the other.
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