Water
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レッスンノート
Water as the Medium for Life
- The first cells are believed to have evolved in a watery environment, likely in deep oceans near hydrothermal vents.
- Water in its liquid state allows dissolved molecules to move and collide, enabling chemical reactions.
- Most life processes occur in water; it is the medium in which all metabolic reactions take place in cells.
- Between 70% and 95% of the mass of a cell is water.
- Water covers 71% of Earth's surface and is a major habitat for organisms.
- Scientists searching for extraterrestrial life look for evidence of water as an indicator of possible life.
Hydrogen Bonds and the Polarity of Water
- A water molecule consists of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to two hydrogen atoms.
- Electrons are shared unevenly: oxygen attracts electrons more strongly, creating a weak negative region (δ-) on oxygen and weak positive regions (δ+) on hydrogen.
- This separation of charge makes water a dipole and a polar molecule.
- Hydrogen bonds form between the δ- oxygen of one water molecule and the δ+ hydrogen of another.
- Hydrogen bonds are weak individually and constantly break and reform, but collectively they form a strong structure.
- Hydrogen bonding explains many of water's biologically important properties.
Roles of Hydrogen Bonding in Biological Molecules
- Hydrogen bonds are involved in dissolving solutes in water.
- They provide cohesion and adhesion of water molecules, enabling water to move up tall trees.
- They are responsible for base-pairing between the two strands of DNA.
- They help form secondary and tertiary structure in proteins.
- Hydrogen bonds between strands of cellulose and collagen give these molecules tensile strength.
- They facilitate interactions between mRNA and tRNA during protein synthesis.
- They contribute to surface effects on membranes between polar phosphate groups and water.
Cohesion and Adhesion
- Cohesion is the attraction between water molecules due to hydrogen bonds.
- Cohesion allows columns of water to move under tension (mass transport) through the xylem of plants.
- Cohesion creates surface tension at the air-water interface, forming a film that supports insects such as pond skaters.
- Adhesion is the bonding of water to other polar or charged molecules, such as cellulose.
- Adhesion enables water to move up the xylem during transpiration and to be drawn up narrow soil channels by capillary action.
- Spaces between cellulose fibres in plant cell walls draw water from xylem vessels by capillary action, allowing flow through plant tissue.
Water as a Solvent
- Hydrophilic means 'water-loving'; hydrophobic means 'water-hating'.
- Polar molecules and those with positive or negative charges can form hydrogen bonds with water and are generally hydrophilic.
- Non-polar molecules cannot form hydrogen bonds with water and are generally hydrophobic; they tend to group together due to hydrophobic interactions.
- Because most biological molecules are hydrophilic and can dissolve, water is regarded as the universal solvent.
- Different metabolites have different solubilities: sodium chloride and urea are highly soluble; fats are insoluble.
- Highly soluble molecules such as salts, glucose and amino acids are easily transported in solution.
- Even amino acids with hydrophobic R groups are soluble enough to be freely transported in water.
- Less soluble molecules require assistance: oxygen combines with haemoglobin for transport, and phospholipids have hydrophobic tails that form the core of cell membranes.
Enzyme Action in Water
- Most enzymes require water to hold their shape and maintain stability.
- Water enables enzymes to catalyse reactions in aqueous solutions.
- Hydrogen bonds often facilitate binding between the enzyme active site and its substrate.
- This binding forms an enzyme-substrate complex.
The lock and key model

Physical Properties of Water: Specific Heat Capacity
- Specific heat capacity is the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1°C.
- Water has a high specific heat capacity (4200 J/kg/°C) compared to air (1000 J/kg/°C).
- The high value is due to the many hydrogen bonds: a lot of thermal energy is needed to break and build them.
- This means water temperature does not fluctuate greatly.
- It provides stable aquatic habitats, as water temperatures change more slowly than air temperatures.
- It helps organisms maintain a constant internal temperature and is vital for optimal enzyme activity.
- Arctic and sub-Arctic species such as the ringed seal survive year-round due to stable sea temperatures.
Physical Properties of Water: Density, Thermal Conductivity, Buoyancy and Viscosity
- Ice is less dense than liquid water, so it floats, forming a habitat for organisms such as the ringed seal.
- Thermal conductivity is the ability of a substance to conduct heat; water's thermal conductivity is almost 30 times higher than air, making air a good insulator.
- The black-throated loon traps an insulating layer of air in its feathers; the ringed seal relies on blubber for insulation.
- Ice forms an insulating layer above water because its thermal conductivity is much lower than liquid water, trapping thermal energy and increasing sea temperature below.
- Buoyancy is the ability to float; the loon has solid bones to overcome buoyancy, while the seal's blubber improves buoyancy and insulation.
- Viscosity is resistance to flow; water's viscosity is much higher than air, and body shapes of loons and seals reduce drag in water.
- The seal uses flippers to propel itself; the loon uses webbed feet and lateral foot placement to reduce drag.
Origin of Water on Earth
- When Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago, conditions were too hot for water vapour to condense into liquid water.
- The asteroid hypothesis proposes that asteroids and their meteorites brought water to Earth, as many contain ice and organic materials.
- Carbonaceous chondrites contain hydrogen isotopes similar to those in seawater.
- Eucrite achondrites contain hydrogen isotope ratios similar to Earth's, supporting the hypothesis.
- Impacts may have released water vapour that was trapped by Earth's gravity and later condensed to liquid water.
Water and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
- Liquid water is a requirement for life, so its presence is key in the search for extraterrestrial life.
- The Goldilocks zone is the area around a star where temperatures allow liquid water to exist.
- Exoplanets in the Goldilocks zone are studied using transit spectroscopy, which analyses light passing through their atmosphere.
- This analysis can reveal a water signature, indicating water may be present.
- To support life, an exoplanet must have a water signature, be in the Goldilocks zone, and be large enough to support an atmosphere.
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練習問題
無料プレビュー — 63問中8問。すべて見るには登録を。
1.Water has the ability to act as a solvent and dissolve many ionic and covalent compounds. Which of the following 3-carbon compounds will not dissolve in water?
Easy- APropanoic acid
- BPropanol
- CGlycerol
- DPropane
2.The specific heat capacity of water is the highest of all liquids. Which of the following would be a correct definition of specific heat capacity?
Easy- AThe heat required to change one mole of liquid into one mole of gas.
- BThe heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of liquid by 1°C.
- CThe heat required to change one mole of solid into one mole of liquid.
- DThe ability of a solid to transfer heat to a liquid.
3.Which of the following diagrams correctly shows the bonding between two water molecules?
Medium- AA hydrogen bond between the δ+ hydrogen of one water molecule and the δ− oxygen of another.
- BA covalent bond between the oxygen of one water molecule and the hydrogen of another.
- CAn ionic bond between the oxygen of one water molecule and the hydrogen of another.
- DA hydrogen bond between the δ− oxygen of one water molecule and the δ− oxygen of another.
4.Which of the following are not examples of hydrogen bonding?
Medium- ABase-pairing between two strands of DNA.
- BThe forces that hold water molecules together.
- CThe bond that joins one nucleotide to its neighbour in a strand of DNA.
- DInteractions between water and the polar R groups of certain amino acids.
5.Water (H₂O) is a polar molecule, whereas methane (CH₄) is nonpolar. Which of the properties of methane is explained by methane's lack of polarity?
Medium- ALow molecular weight.
- BLow boiling point.
- CFlammability.
- DGreenhouse gas effect.
6.Which of the following observations is not explained by water's high latent heat of vaporisation and specific heat capacity?
Medium- AIce is less dense than liquid water, so it floats on water.
- BWater exists in all three physical states (solid, liquid and gas) on Earth.
- CA small volume of water can dissipate a lot of heat from an organism.
- DA lot of heat energy is required to raise the temperature of water.
7.Which row of the table lists the four common metabolites in decreasing order of solubility in water?
Medium- Aoxygen → sodium chloride → cholesterol → hydrophobic amino acid
- Bsodium chloride → oxygen → hydrophobic amino acid → cholesterol
- Chydrophobic amino acid → oxygen → sodium chloride → cholesterol
- Dsodium chloride → hydrophobic amino acid → oxygen → cholesterol
8.Which of the following properties of water are a result of intermolecular forces? (select all that apply)
Medium- AHigh surface tension.
- BGood solvent.
- CCohesiveness.
- DHigh specific heat capacity.
- ELow viscosity.