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Properties of water

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the physical and chemical properties of pure water. For general
discussion and its distribution and importance in life, see Water. For other uses, seeWater
(disambiguation).

Water (H2O)

Names
IUPAC name
water, oxidane
Other names
Hydrogen oxide, Dihydrogen monoxide(DHMO), Hydrogen monoxide,
Dihydrogen oxide, Hydrogen hydroxide (HH or HOH), Hydric acid,
Hydrohydroxic acid, Hydroxic acid, Hydrol,[1] -Oxido dihydrogen
Identifiers
CAS

7732-18-5

Registry
Number
ChEBI

CHEBI:15377

ChEMBL

ChEMBL1098659

ChemSpider

937

InChI[show]
Jmol-3D

Image

images
PubChem

962

RTECS

ZC0110000

number
SMILES[show]
UNII

059QF0KO0R
Properties

Chemical

H 2O

formula
Molar mass

18.01528(33) g/mol

Appearance

white solid or almost colorless, transparent, with a slight


hint of blue, crystalline solid or liquid[2]

Odor

odorless

Density

999.9720 kg/m3 1 t/m3 = 1 kg/l = 1 g/cm3 62.4


lb/ft3(liquid, maximum, at ~4 C)
917 kg/m3 (solid)
see text

Melting point 0.00 C (32.00 F; 273.15 K)[5]


Boiling point 100 C (212 F; 373 K) [5]
Solubility

soluble in haloalkanes,C6H6,
higher alkanes, ethers,CFCs, phenyls,cycloalkanes, alco
hols,carboxylates[3]

Vapor

see text

pressure
Acidity (pKa) 15.74

~3536
Basicity (pKb 15.74
)
Magnetic

1.298105 cm3/mol (20 C, 1 atm)

susceptibility
()
Thermal

0.58 W/mK[4]

conductivity
Refractive

1.3325

index(nD)
Viscosity

1 cP (20 C)
Structure

Crystal

Hexagonal

structure
Point group

C2v

Molecular

Bent

shape
Dipole

1.85 D

moment
Thermochemistry
Specific

75.375 0.05 J/molK[6][7]

heat
capacity (C)
Std molar

69.95 J/molK[6]

entropy (S 298)
o

Std enthalpy

-285.83 kJ/mol[3][6]

of
formation (f
Ho298)
Gibbs free

-237.24 kJ/mol[3]

energy(fG)

Hazards
Main hazards Drowning (see alsoDihydrogen monoxide hoax)
Water intoxication

Avalanche (as snow)


NFPA 704

0
0
0
Flash point

Non-flammable
Related compounds

Other cations Hydrogen sulfide


Hydrogen selenide
Hydrogen telluride
Hydrogen polonide
Hydrogen peroxide
Related solve Acetone
nts
Methanol
Related
compounds

Water vapor
Ice
Heavy water

Except where noted otherwise, data is given for materials in


their standard state (at 25 C (77 F), 100 kPa)
verify (what is:

/ ?)

Infobox references

Water (H
2O) is the most abundant compound on Earth's surface, covering 70 percent of the planet.
In nature, water exists in liquid, solid, and gaseous states. It is in dynamic
equilibrium between the liquid and gas states at standard temperature and pressure.
Atroom temperature, it is a tasteless and odorless liquid, nearly colorless with a hint of blue.

Many substances dissolve in water and it is commonly referred to as the universal solvent.
Because of this, water in nature and in use is rarely pure and some properties may vary
from those of the pure substance. However, there are also many compounds that are
essentially, if not completely, insoluble in water. Water is the only common substance found
naturally in all three common states of matter and it is essential for all life on Earth.[8] Water
makes up 55% to 78% of the human body.[9]
Contents
[hide]

1 Forms of water

2 Physics and chemistry


2.1 Water, ice, and vapor

2.1.1 Heat capacity and heats of vaporization and fusion

2.1.2 Density of water and ice

2.1.3 Density of saltwater and ice

2.1.4 Miscibility and condensation

2.1.5 Vapor pressure

2.1.6 Compressibility

2.1.7 Triple point


2.2 Electrical properties

2.2.1 Electrical conductivity

2.2.2 Electrolysis

2.3 Static dielectric constant

2.4 Polarity and hydrogen bonding

2.4.1 Cohesion and adhesion

2.4.2 Surface tension

2.4.3 Capillary action

2.4.4 Water as a solvent


2.5 Water in acid-base reactions

2.5.1 Ligand chemistry

2.5.2 Organic chemistry

2.5.3 Acidity in nature

2.6 Water in redox reactions

2.7 Geochemistry

2.8 Transparency

2.9 Heavy water and isotopologues

3 History

4 Systematic naming

5 See also

6 Notes

7 References

8 External links

Forms of water[edit]
Like many substances, water can take numerous forms that are broadly categorized
by phase of matter. The liquid phase is the most common among water's phases (within the
Earth's atmosphere and surface) and is the form that is generally denoted by the word
"water." The solid phase of water is known as ice and commonly takes the structure of
hard, amalgamated crystals, such as ice cubes, or loosely accumulated granular crystals,
like snow. For a list of the many different crystalline and amorphous forms of solid H2O, see
the article ice. The gaseous phase of water is known as water vapor (or steam), and is
characterized by water assuming the configuration of a transparent cloud. (Note that visible
steam and clouds are, in fact, water in the liquid form as minute droplets suspended in the
air.) The fourth state of water, that of a supercritical fluid, is much less common than the
other three and only rarely occurs in nature, in extremely uninhabitable conditions. When
water achieves a specific critical temperature and a specificcritical pressure (647K and
22.064MPa), liquid and gas phase merge to one homogeneous fluid phase, with properties
of both gas and liquid. One example of naturally occurring supercritical water is found in the
hottest parts of deep water hydrothermal vents, in which water is heated to the critical
temperature by scalding volcanic plumes and achieves the critical pressure because of the
crushing weight of the ocean at the extreme depths at which the vents are located.
Additionally, anywhere there is volcanic activity below a depth of 2.25 km (1.40 mi) can be
expected to have water in the supercritical phase. [10]
Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water is the current international standard for
water isotopes. Naturally occurring water is almost completely composed of the neutronless hydrogen isotope protium. Only 155 ppm include deuterium (2
H or D), a hydrogen isotope with one neutron, and fewer than 20 parts
per quintillion include tritium (3
H or T), which has two.
In keeping with the basic rules of chemical nomenclature, water would have a systematic
name of dihydrogen monoxide,[11] but this is not among the names published by
the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry[12] and, rather than being used in a
chemical context, the name is almost exclusively used as a humorous way to refer to water.

Heavy water is water with a higher-than-average deuterium content, up to 100%.


Chemically, it is similar but not identical to normal water. This is because the nucleus of
deuterium is twice as heavy as protium, and this causes noticeable differences in bonding
energies. Because water molecules exchange hydrogen atoms with one another, hydrogen
deuterium oxide (DOH) is much more common in low-purity heavy water than pure
dideuterium monoxide (D2O). Humans are generally unaware of taste differences,[13]but
sometimes report a burning sensation[14] or sweet flavor.[15] Rats, however, are able to avoid
heavy water by smell.[16] Toxic to many animals,[16] heavy water is used in the nuclear
reactor industry to moderate (slow down) neutrons. Light water reactors are also common,
where "light" simply designates normal water.
Light water more specifically refers to deuterium-depleted water (DDW), water in which the
deuterium content has been reduced below the standard 155 ppm level.

Physics and chemistry[edit]


See also: Water chemistry analysis
Water is the chemical substance with chemical formula H
2O: one molecule of water has two hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to a
single oxygen atom.[17] Water is a tasteless, odorless liquid at ambient temperature and
pressure, and appears colorless in small quantities, although it has its own intrinsic very
light blue hue. Ice also appears colorless, and water vapor is essentially invisible as a gas. [2]
Water is primarily a liquid under standard conditions, which is not predicted from its
relationship to other analogous hydrides of theoxygen family in the periodic table, which are
gases such as hydrogen sulfide. The elements surrounding oxygen in the periodic
table, nitrogen, fluorine, phosphorus, sulfur and chlorine, all combine with hydrogen to
produce gases under standard conditions. The reason that water forms a liquid is that
oxygen is more electronegative than all of these elements with the exception of fluorine.
Oxygen attracts electrons much more strongly than hydrogen, resulting in a net positive
charge on the hydrogen atoms, and a net negative charge on the oxygen atom. The
presence of a charge on each of these atoms gives each water molecule a net dipole
moment. Electrical attraction between water molecules due to this dipole pulls individual
molecules closer together, making it more difficult to separate the molecules and therefore
raising the boiling point. This attraction is known as hydrogen bonding. The molecules of
water are constantly moving in relation to each other, and the hydrogen bonds are
continually breaking and reforming at timescales faster than 200 femtoseconds. [18] However,
this bond is sufficiently strong to create many of the peculiar properties of water, such as
those that make it integral to life. Water can be described as a polar liquid that slightly
dissociates disproportionately into the hydronium ion (H
3O+
(aq)) and an associated hydroxide ion (OH
(aq)).
2H
2O(l)
H
3O+
(aq) + OH
(aq)

The dissociation constant for this dissociation is commonly symbolized as Kw and has a
value of about 1014 at 25 C; see "Water (data page)" and "Self-ionization of water" for
more information.
Percentage of elements in water by mass: 11.1% hydrogen, 88.9% oxygen.
The self-diffusion coefficient of water is 2.299109 m2s1.[19]

Water, ice, and vapor[edit]


Heat capacity and heats of vaporization and fusion[edit]

Heat of vaporization

Temperature (C)

Hv (kJ/mol)[20]

45.054

25

43.99

40

43.35

60

42.482

80

41.585

100

40.657

120

39.684

140

38.643

160

37.518

180

36.304

200

34.962

220

33.468

240

31.809

260

29.93

280

27.795

300

25.3

320

22.297

340

18.502

360

12.966

374

2.066

Main article: Enthalpy of vaporization

Heat of vaporization of water from melting to critical temperature

Water has a very high specific heat capacity the second highest among all the
heteroatomic species (after ammonia), as well as a high heat of
vaporization (40.65 kJ/mol or 2257 kJ/kg at the normal boiling point), both of which are
a result of the extensive hydrogen bonding between its molecules. These two unusual
properties allow water to moderate Earth's climate by buffering large fluctuations in
temperature. According to Josh Willis, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the oceans
absorb one thousand times more heat than the atmosphere (air) and are holding 80 to
90% of the heat of global warming.[21]
The specific enthalpy of fusion of water is 333.55 kJ/kg at 0 C, i.e. melting ice absorbs
the same energy as ice warming from -160 degrees Celsius up to its melting point. Of
common substances, only that of ammonia is higher. This property confers resistance
to melting on the ice of glaciersand drift ice. Before and since the advent of
mechanical refrigeration, ice was and still is in common use for retarding food spoilage.
Constant-pressure heat capacity

Temperature (C)

Cp (J/(gK) at 100 kPa)[7]

4.2176

10

4.1921

20

4.1818

25

4.1814

30

4.1784

40

4.1785

50

4.1806

60

4.1843

70

4.1895

80

4.1963

90

4.205

100

4.2159

Note that the specific heat capacity of ice at 10 C is about 2.05 J/(gK) and that the
heat capacity of steam at 100 C is about 2.080 J/(gK).

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