BIL 150 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Self-Ionization Of Water
Document Summary
Cohesion due to hydrogen bonding contributes to the transport of water and dissolved nutrients against gravity in plants. Adhesion is the clinging of one substance to another (water is attracted to other substances) Surface tension is a measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break the surface of a liquid (spiders walking on water: water has a high surface tension, moderation of temperature by water. Water moderates air temperature by absorbing heat from air that is warmer and releasing the stored heat to air that is cooler. Water is one of the few substances that is less dense as a solid than as a liquid (why ice floats on liquid water) The ability of ice to float due to its lower density is a key factor in the suitability of the environment for life. If ice sank, eventually all ponds, lakes, and oceans would freeze solid, making life impossible on earth: water is the universal solvent.