ACCT 2220 Study Guide - Final Guide: Pore Space In Soil, Gravitational Potential, Water Potential
14 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
It has a low molecular weight, a high boiling point and is one of the only substances that can exist in solid, liquid and vapour form at normal atmospheric pressures and within the temperature range of living organisms. Note that the hydrogen atoms are not equally spaced around the oxygen. As a result, the water molecule is termed a polar molecule with one side of the molecule being positively charged and the other side being negatively charged. The polar nature of the water molecule is an important characteristic related to the behaviour of water molecules. The dipolar character of water permits a water molecule to form hydrogen bonds with other water molecules and with polar functional groups on surfaces of clay particles and soil organic matter (humus). Also because of the dipolar nature, water molecules are strongly attracted to ions in solution. The term cohesion is used to describe the attraction between water molecules.
