Edexcel A-Level Biology B 9BI0
Biological Molecules
Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things
Classification and Biodiversity
Exchange and Transport
Energy for Biological Processes
Microbiology and Pathogens
Modern Genetics
Origins of Genetic Variation
Control Systems
Ecosystems
Biological Molecules
The properties of water
- 3 things to know
- Papers 1, 2 and 3
Overview
Recall questions on the polarity of water and hydrogen bonding, its high specific heat capacity, its solvent properties, surface tension, incompressibility and hydrostatic support, maximum density at 4 °C, and why floating ice protects aquatic life.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Why does water have a high specific heat capacity, and how does this help terrestrial organisms?
Why is oxygen more electronegative than hydrogen in a water molecule?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Why is oxygen more electronegative than hydrogen in a water molecule?
Model answer
Oxygen has a greater nuclear charge and attracts shared electrons more strongly than hydrogen does.
- 2
What happens to the shared electrons in a water molecule due to the difference in electronegativity between oxygen and hydrogen?
Model answer
The electrons are pulled towards the oxygen atom, spending more time near it.
- 3
What type of charge does the oxygen atom carry in a water molecule, and why?
Model answer
A partial negative charge (δ⁻), because the shared electrons are drawn towards it due to its higher electronegativity.
- 4
What charges do the hydrogen atoms carry in a water molecule?
Model answer
Partial positive charges (δ⁺), because electrons are pulled away from them towards the oxygen.
- 5
Describe how a hydrogen bond forms between two water molecules.
Model answer
The partial positive charge on a hydrogen atom of one water molecule is attracted to the partial negative charge on the oxygen atom of another water molecule.
- 6
What does high specific heat capacity mean in terms of energy and temperature change?
Model answer
A large amount of energy is required to raise the temperature of water.
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