WATER AND LIFE

Listed below are some of the physical properties of water. These physical properties have
significance for all organisms, meaning that water plays a crucial role in life. This worksheet
contains space beneath each physical property of water, to describe the significance for life of
that property.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF WATER

1. Water is a liquid at room temperature – it boils at 100°c

(Because of the strength of hydrogen bonds, a great deal of heat is required to boil water)

2. Water has high thermal conductivity – heat quickly disperses through it

(Water molecules are easily energised)

3. Water has a very high heat capacity

(Because it is difficult to break so many hydrogen bonds between water molecules, much heat
is required to raise the temperature of water)

4. Water has high latent heat of vaporisation

(Because it is difficult to break so many hydrogen bonds between water molecules, a great deal
of heat is required to evaporate water)

5. Water has a very high latent heat of fusion

(Because of hydrogen bonding between molecules, much heat must be removed before water
freezes)

6. Ice is less dense than water – it floats on water (and also occupies more volume
than water – may be bad!
(Because of the orientation of water molecules and the bonding distance apart of adjacent
molecules, water is most dense at 4°c

7. Water has high surface tension

(Because of hydrogen bonds, water molecules have cohesion and they orientate at the surface
so that hydrogen bonds face inwards)
8. Water has a very low viscosity
(Water molecules easily slide over each other)

9. Water has strong adhesive properties

(Because of its polarity, water molecules adhere to surfaces)

10. Water has strong cohesive properties

(Because of hydrogen bonds between water molecules, they adhere to each other and
water columns do not break or pull apart)

11. Water is a universal solvent

(Because of their polarity, water molecules easily attract ions and allow substances to
dissolve)

12. Water has a high transmission of light

(Water is transparent or colourless)

13. Water is denser than air

14. Water is difficult to compress

(Because of strong molecular bonding, the shape of water molecules is difficult to change)

15. Water is the raw material for many reactions – it is a reagent

(It is relatively easy to split a water molecule into H+ and OH- ions)

16. Many substances can be hydrated (or dehydrated) and therefore exist in two
forms