Water

Topic:
WATER
CONTENT:
1.Definition of water
2.States of water
3.Importance of water
4.Properties of water
5.Questions and answer
Written by: Muhammad Suhail Abbasi

WATER
What is Water?
Water is a colourless and transparent chemical substance which is the main constituent of
streams, oceans, and lakes on the earth’s crust. It is an important fluid that plays a significant
role in sustaining life on earth. The chemical formula of water is H2O. It is made up of
two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom which are held together by covalent bonds. 71% of
the earth’s surface is made up of this liquid.
States:
The solid state of water is known as ice. Water freezes at 0o Celsius (freezing point of water)
to form ice.
The liquid state of water makes up most of the earth’s surface. It finds its application in a
wide range of areas.
The gaseous state of water is known as water vapour. At 100o Celsius water reaches its
boiling point and gets converted into water vapour.
The Importance of Water:

Agriculture: The most important use of water is for agriculture. Irrigation is necessary for
agriculture, and for that, water is the key component to produce food.
Drinking: The human body contains 50% to 78% of water according to the size of the body.
Humans need to drink 7 litres of water every day to avoid dehydration.
Health: It plays an important role in digestion and other biological processes that occur in
living organisms. It plays an important role in maintaining the pH of the body. It also helps in
the movement of antibodies from the immune system.
Regulator: It helps in regulating body temperature. Water provides the necessary cooling
effect to the body.
Intoxication: Water removes harmful toxins from the body through perspiration and
urination. It prevents the building up of wastes in living organisms.
Washing: It is used to make emulsions and solutions which are used for washing purposes.
Properties of Water
A glance of earth taken from space will depict it blue. This blue colour is actually water, a
major part of the earth is covered with water. We need water for almost everything, for
example- drinking, bathing, cooking etc and therefore we should know about the properties
of water. 65 % human body is composed of water. Water is essential for the survival of life
on earth. Water is distributed unevenly on the earth’s surface. It forms a major solvent and
dissolves almost every polar solute. So, let us have a look at its properties and understand the
reason for its significance:
Physical properties of water

Water is a colourless and tasteless liquid. The molecules of water have extensive hydrogen
bonds resulting in unusual properties in the condensed form. This also leads to high melting
and boiling points. As compared to other liquids, water has a higher specific heat, thermal
conductivity, surface tension, dipole moment, etc. These properties form the reason for its
significance in the biosphere. Water is an excellent solvent and therefore it helps in the
transportation of ions and molecules required for metabolism. It has a high latent heat of
vaporization which helps in the regulation of body temperature.
Chemical properties of water

Water reacts with a lot of substances to form different compounds. Some significant reactions
are as follows:
1. Amphoteric nature:
Water can act as both acid and base, which means that it is amphoteric in nature.
Example:
2. Redox reactions:
Electropositive elements reduce water to hydrogen molecule. Thus, water is a great source of
hydrogen. Let us see an example in this case:
During the process of photosynthesis, water is oxidized to O2. As water can be oxidized and
reduced, it is very useful in redox reactions.
3. Hydrolysis reaction
Water has a very strong hydrating tendency due to its dielectric constant. It dissolves many
ionic compounds. Some covalent and ionic compounds can be hydrolyzed in water.
SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q1. What is the melting point?
The temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid due to enough heat. For a given substance,
its solid form’s melting point is the same as its liquid form’s freezing point and depends on
factors such as the substance’s purity and surrounding pressure.
Q2. How does boiling point work?
A liquid‘s boiling point is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to that of the
atmospheric pressure. The normal boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which one
atmosphere (760 torr) is equal to its vapor pressure. The normal boiling point of water is 100
degree Celsius.
Q3. What affects the boiling point of water?
The surrounding pressures are the greatest determinant of the boiling point of a liquid. The
air pressure in an open system is most definitely the atmosphere on earth. For instance, water
reaches the standard atmospheric pressure at 100 degrees centigrade. Water can boil at a
lower temperature as elevation increases.
Q4. What is specific heat in chemistry?
The amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 gram of a material by 1 °C
is known as its specific heat.
Q5. Why is specific heat important?
Water’s high specific heat capacity makes it suitable for central heating systems because it
can transfer a lot of energy by heating while its temperature changes just slightly.

Water

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Written by: Muhammad Suhail Abbasi

The Importance of Water:

Physical properties of water

Chemical properties of water

SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

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