Properties of Water Lab Activity
Properties of Water Lab Activity
Properties of Water Lab Activity
Introduction
Water is a simple molecule, yet it’s most vital to all living things. It has the
highest specific heat capacity of everyday substances. Unique properties of water enable it to
carry out functions that no other substances can. In a neutral aqueous solution, 5 molecules of
water are bonded together by weak hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, due to the electronegativity of
oxygen, water is a polar molecule. Due to its polarity, water is classified as the universal solvent.
You will investigate the life-sustaining properties of water throughout this lab.
3. Measure out 10g of NaCl and add this to a beaker with 100ml of water. [*Keep this salt
solution for part 3!]
a. Stir the salt to dissolve. Record how long it takes to dissolve all the salt.
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Density
Water is one of the few substances that are less dense as a solid than as a liquid. While most
substances contract when they solidify, water expands. This property is due to the hydrogen
bonding between water molecules.
Procedure: Obtain 2 pennies, 2 pipettes, and a beaker of tap water and some paper towel. You
will also need your solution of salt water made in part one.
Use your pipette to drop tap water onto a penny, one drop at a time, count how many drops you
can add before any water spills over the edge. Record the number of drops in your data table.
Repeat this 4 more times and find the average number of drops of tap water a penny will hold.
Be sure to completely dry your penny between each trial. Repeat with your solution of salt water
an then answer the questions below.
Average
Draw a diagram of your penny with tap water on it right before you think the water will spill
over the side of the penny.
Question: Explain what happened in terms of water chemistry. Why does the paperclip float?
Can you explain what happens when you add the detergent? [Soaps are amphipathic molecules,
meaning that they possess both a charged or polar region at one end and a non-polar region at the
other.]
2. Use capillary action to explain how water (with dye) travelled towards the leaves.
Part Five: Specific Heat of Water
Water has a high heat of vaporization - the energy required to convert liquid water to a gas.
Water's high heat of vaporization helps moderate the earth's climate.
Part 1
Let’s examine the relative heats of vaporization of water and ethanol as follows:
1. Simultaneously stick one cotton swab into a beaker of water while doing the same with a
second cotton swab in a beaker of ethanol
2. Gently draw thin lines of liquid (a few cm long) with each swab on your desk top and record
how long it takes for each line to evaporate.
Questions:
2. Based on your results explain why water is a much more effective coolant than alcohol
for the body.
Part 2
Water has a high specific heat capacity. Specific heat is a measure of heat capacity, is the heat
required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1°C. Water, with its high heat capacity,
therefore, changes temperature more slowly than other compounds.
Questions:
3. Think about what happens when you boil water for pasta. Which becomes hot first, the
pot or the water in the pot?
3. How does water’s specific heat relate to its usefulness for life? (give as many examples
as possible)
Summary- Complete and submit your responses to the 3 summary questions.
**complete on a separate sheet, including your name and title.
Pulling it all Together
1. List three things that you discovered about water? [3 marks]