Water

Why is water Polar

Although a water molecule has an overall neutral charge (having the same
number of electrons and protons), the electrons are asymmetrically
distributed, which makes the molecule polar. The oxygen nucleus draws
electrons away from the hydrogen nuclei, leaving these nuclei with a small
net positive charge.

Students along with teacher will discuss the various properties of water such
as:
a) Thermal properties
Water has the second highest specific heat capacity of all known
substances, after ammonia, as well as a high heat of vaporization (40.65
kJ/mol or 2257 kJ/kg), both of which are a result of the extensive hydrogen
bonding between its molecules. The heat capacity of water is high
compared to other common materials. This means that it can absorb or
can lose a lot of heat energy without changing its temperature very much.
This buffers the environment against large, rapid temperature changes
b) Density and freezing properties
Water is an unusual chemical because the solid form, ice is less dense than the
liquid form.In liquid water each molecule is hydrogen bonded to approximately 3.4
other water molecules. In ice each each molecule is hydrogen bonded to 4 other
molecules. Hydrogen bond lengths between water molecules will vary since the
molecules are in constant motion, unlike ice which is a rigid lattice structure. Open
spaces in ice are formed at low temperatures when water molecules form many
stable hydrogen bonds. These properties of water have important consequences in
its role in the ecosystem of Earth. Water at a temperature of 4 C will always
accumulate at the bottom of fresh water lakes, irrespective of the temperature in
the atmosphere. Since water and ice are poor conductors of heat(good insulators) it
is unlikely that sufficiently deep lakes will freeze completely,
c) Solvent properties

Water is also a good solvent due to its polarity. The solvent properties of
water are vital in biology, because many biochemical reactions take place
only within aqueous solutions (e.g., reactions in the cytoplasm and blood).
In addition, water is used to transport biological molecules.
When an ionic or polar compound enters water, it is surrounded by water
molecules. The relatively small size of water molecules typically allows
many water molecules to surround one molecule of solute. The partially
negative dipoles of the water are attracted to positively charged
components of the solute, and vice versa for the positive dipoles.
In general, ionic and polar substances such as acids, alcohols, and salts
are easily soluble in water, and nonpolar substances such as fats and oils
are not. Nonpolar molecules stay together in water because it is
energetically more favorable for the water molecules to hydrogen bond to
each other than to engage in van der Waals interactions with nonpolar
molecules.
d) High surface tension
The strong hydrogen bonds give water a high cohesiveness and, consequently,
surface tension. This is evident when small quantities of water are put onto a
nonsoluble surface and the water stays together as drops. This feature is important
when water is carried through xylem up stems in plants; the strong intermolecular
attractions hold the water column together, and prevent tension caused by
transpiration pull. Other liquids with lower surface tension would have a higher
tendency to "rip", forming vacuum or air pockets and rendering the xylem vessel
inoperative.
e) Reactivity
Chemically, water is amphoteric: able to act as an acid or base. Occasionally the
term hydroxic acid is used when water acts as an acid in a chemical reaction. At a
pH of 7 (neutral), the concentration of hydroxide ions (OH-) is equal to that of the
hydronium (H3O+) or hydrogen ions (H+) ions. If the equilibrium is disturbed, the
solution becomes acidic (higher concentration of hydronium ions) or basic (higher
concentration of hydroxide ions).

Water can act as either an acid or a base in reactions. According to the BrnstedLowry system, an acid is defined as a species which donates a proton (an H+ ion) in
a reaction, and a base as one which receives a proton. When reacting with a
stronger acid, water acts as a base; when reacting with a weaker acid, it acts as an
acid. For instance, it receives an H+ ion from HCl in the equilibrium: