BIO-8 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Sodium Chloride, Heat Capacity, Acids In Wine
Document Summary
Section 1: water has many properties favorable to life. Many imp. biochemical and biogeochemical reactions take place in water. Pure water becomes solid below 0c and vapor above 100c. When water contains dissolved compounds, such as salts, its freezing temp. drops below oc. Water has a high specific heat; which is the energy required to raise water temp by 1c. This makes water resistant to changing states; helps prevent water bodies from freezing solid during the winter. Water is at its highest density at 4c. Above and below 4c, the density of water decreases. Ice is less dense than liquid water, so it floats on the surface as a result, the lower layers of lakes and ponds are typically ice-free during winter. Some body tissues are more dense than water (e. g. , bone); some are less dense (e. g. , fats). Organisms have developed many adaptions to cope with their tendencies to sink or float.
