Properties of Water Reading and Ques
Properties of Water Reading and Ques
Properties of Water Reading and Ques
What are the physical and chemical properties of water that make it so
unique and necessary for living things? When you look at water, taste and smell
it—well, what could be more boring? Pure water is virtually colorless and has no
taste or smell. But the hidden qualities of water make it a most interesting subject.
All these water molecules attracting each o ther mean they tend to
clump together. This is why water drops are, in fact, drops! If it weren’t
for some of Earth's forces, such as gravity, a drop of water would be ball
shaped -a perfect sphere. Even if it doesn't form a perfect sphere on
Earth, we should be happy water is sticky.
Water is called the "universal solvent" because it dissolves more substances than
any other liquid. This means that wherever water goes, either through the ground
or through our bodies, it takes along valuable chemicals, minerals, and nutrients.
Water freezes at 32 0 Fahrenheit (F) and boils at 212 0 F (at sea level, but 186.4° at
14,000 feet). In fact, water's freezing and boiling points are the baseline with
which temperature is measured: 0 0 on the Celsius scale is water's freezing point,
and 1000 is water's boiling point. Water is unusual in that the solid form, ice, is
less dense than the liquid form, which is why ice floats.
Water has a high specific heat index. This means that water can absorb a lot of
heat before it begins to get hot. This is why water is valuable to industries and in
your car's radiator as a coolant. The high specific heat index of water also helps
regulate the rate at which air changes temperature, which is why the temperature
change between seasons is gradual rather than sudden, especially near the
oceans.
Water has a very high surface tension. In other words, water has a thin “skin”
on its surface due to the water molecules sticking together. Because of this
surface tension, water tends to clump together in drops rather than spread out in
a thin film. Surface tension also allows light objects to float on the surface of
water.
The stickiness of water is respo nsible for two other important properties:
adhesion and cohesion. Cohesion means that water molecules stick to each
other. Adhesion means that water molecules stick to other materials.
Name_____________________________________________ Date____________________________
Properties of Water
Notes
Directions: Read the Water Properties handout. As you read, complete
the following guided reading notes.
1. Draw a water molecule in the box below. Label each of the atoms and show the
charges.
o o
Water Property F C
Freezing Point
Boiling Point
adhesion
cohesion
surface
tension
capillary
action