Which are specific characters of water ?
Answers
1. Water's Attraction to Other Polar Molecules
Cohesion
Cohesion, otherwise known as water's attraction to other water molecules, is one of the major properties of water. Water's polarity lends it to be attracted to other water molecules. The hydrogen bonds in water hold other water molecules together. Due to water's cohesiveness:
Liquid water has surface tension. This allows for insects, such as Water Striders, to walk on water.
Water is a liquid at moderate temperatures, and not a gas.
Adhesion
Water's attraction between molecules of a different substance is called adhesion. Water is adhesive to any molecule it can form hydrogen bonds with. Due to water's adhesiveness:
Capillary action occurs. For example, when you have a narrow tube in water, the water will rise up the tube because of water's adhesiveness to the glass "climbing" up the tube.
2. Water's High-Specific Heat
Water can moderate temperature because of the two properties: high-specific heat and the high heat of vaporization.
High-specific heat is the amount of energy that is absorbed or lost by one gram of a substance to change the temperature by 1 degree celsius. Water molecules form a lot of hydrogen bonds between one another. In turn, a lot of energy is needed to break down those bonds. Breaking the bonds allows individual water molecules to move freely about and have a higher temperature. In other words: if there are a lot of individual water molecules moving about, they’ll create more friction and more heat, which means a higher temperature.
The hydrogen bonds between water molecules absorb the heat when they break and release heat when they form, which minimizes temperature changes. Water helps maintain a moderate temperature of organisms and environments.
Water takes a long time to heat up, and holds its temperature longer when heat is not applied.
3. Water's High Heat of Evaporation
Water's high heat of vaporization is the other property responsible for its ability to moderate temperature.
Water's high heat of evaporation is basically the amount of heat energy needed to change a gram of liquid into gas. Water also needs a lot of energy in order to break down the hydrogen bonds. The evaporation of water off a surface causes a cooling effect. Much like among humans—when we get hot, or energy inside our body is breaking chemical bonds, we sweat as a cooling effect. In this case, the same process occurs: as the water evaporates off the the surface of the skin, it cools down the surface.
The following are few characters of water :
1. pH of water
The water is considered as alkaline type when the pH found is more than 7. When the pH is found less than 7, then the water is acidic.
2. Attraction towards polar molecules
Water is found to get attracted to the molecules that are polar in two ways - by cohesion (attraction between water and its molecules) and by adhesion (attraction between water and other substances' molecules).