Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Describe the usefulness of water in biosphere and biological systems.
Advertisements
Solution
Water is essential for all forms of life. It constitutes around 65% of the human body and 95% of plants. Water plays an important role in the biosphere owing to its high specific heat, thermal conductivity, surface tension, dipole moment, and dielectric constant.
The high heat of vapourization and heat of capacity of water helps in moderating the climate and body temperature of all living beings.
It acts as a carrier of various nutrients required by plants and animals for various metabolic reactions.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Arrange the following:
CaH2, BeH2 and TiH2 in order of increasing electrical conductance.
What properties of water make it useful as a solvent? What types of compound can it (i) dissolve, and (ii) hydrolyse?
Why is it said that-
There is no alternative to water for cleaning purposes.
Sea water is a bad conductor of electricity.
State whether the following statement is true or false.
The substance in which a solute dissolves is called a solvent.
Explain the picture in your own words.

Explain the various properties of water.
If same mass of liquid water and a piece of ice is taken, then why is the density of ice less than that of liquid water?
Give reasons: Lakes freeze from top towards bottom.
Give reasons: Ice floats on water.
\[\ce{H2O2}\] is a better oxidising agent than water. Explain.
Melting point, enthalpy of vapourisation and viscosity data of \[\ce{H2O}\] and \[\ce{D2O}\] is given below :
| \[\ce{H, O}\] | \[\ce{D2O}\] | |
| Melting point / K | 373.0 | 374.4 |
| Enthalpy of vapourisation at (373 K)/kJ mol–1 | 40.66 | 41.61 |
| Viscosity/centipoise | 0.8903 | 1.107 |
On the basis of this data explain in which of these liquids intermolecular forces are stronger?
Explain why \[\ce{HCl}\] is a gas and \[\ce{HF}\] is a liquid.
How will you account for 104.5° bond angle in water?
The freezing point of water ______ with an increase in pressure.
Pure water boils at ______ °C at one atmospheric pressure.
Freezing of water will cause an ______ is the volume.
What is the taste of distilled water & boiled water?
