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Water is essential to life itself, with out water life on earth would not exist. Water is a major component of cells, typically forming between 70 and 95% of the mass of the cell. This means that we are made from approximately 80% water by mass and some soft bodied creatures such as jellyfish are made of up to 96% water. Water also provides an environment for organisms to live in, 75% of the earth is covered in water.
Water itself is a simple molecule made up of 2 hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, H20. ... Water is not a linear molecule, the two hydrogen atoms form a bond with the oxygen at the angle of 104. ... In the case of water however the large number of protons in the oxygen nucleus have a stronger attraction for these shared electrons than the comparatively tiny hydrogen nuclei. ...
Diagram of water molecule showing slight charges
This slight charge means that when water molecules are close together the positively charged hydrogen atoms are attracted to the negatively charged oxygen atoms of another water molecule to form a weak hydrogen bond. ...
Diagram of water molecules forming hydrogen bonds
Water is an unusual substance, mostly due to its hydrogen bonds, its properties allow it to act as a solvent, a reactant, as a molecule with a cohesive properties, as an environment and as a temperature stabiliser.
Water can dissolve polar or ionic substances and can keep them in solution because of waters own polar properties. Substances that dissolve in water are know as hydrophilic substances. ... Normally these ionic attractions require a large amount of energy to break but when put into water the negative oxygen side of the water molecules cluster around the positive sodium ions Na+ and the positive hydrogen atoms cluster around the negative chloride ions Cl-.
Approximate Word count = 1431
Approximate Pages = 5.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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