Explain how the structure and properties of water relate to the role water plays as a medium of life.

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Question: Explain how the structure and properties of water relate to the role water plays as a medium of life.

Water is a colorless, tasteless, and odorless liquid at room temperature. It is composed of the elements Hydrogen and Oxygen. Both Oxygen and Hydrogen atoms combine to form a v-shaped molecule. This v-shaped molecule is electrically neutral, yet the oxygen atom holds a small negative charge and the two hydrogen atoms hold small positive charges. These properties make water a unique substance. 

The importance of water as a medium of life relates to its properties which include its solvent properties, heat capacity, surface tension, adhesion, cohesion and heat of vaporization and freezing properties.

Water is often called the universal solvent because water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid. Water combines with certain salts to form hydrates. It reacts with metal oxides to form acids. It also acts as a catalyst in many important chemical reactions. The properties of water make it an ideal medium for cellular life. Water is an excellent solvent for polar molecules, some of which dissociate in solution to form ions (ionization). Water repels non-polar molecules.

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Another very interesting and important property of water is its high specific heat capacity. This means it takes a lot of energy to raise the temperature of water. Water's greater latent heat and thermal capacity as compared with other liquids are the reasons that bodies of water heat up and cool off more slowly than does the land. Because of these unique thermal properties of water, the temperature differences between summer and winter or between night and day remain constantly within limits such that human beings and other living things can survive. If the surface of our world had less ...

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