The importance of water in biological processes

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THE BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF WATER

Water is very important in the world we live where it is used both inside cells and in the environment. As water is found as a liquid at temperatures above 0°C it can be used to carry substances or organisms. It is used inside of  cells as a liquid for important chemical reactions, meaning that without water there would be no life. It is also used outside of cells as an environment for certain organisms to live in.

Water is a small molecule with the formula H2O. There are two covalent bonds holding the molecule together. As the molecule is made of polar bonds it means that there is a difference in the repulsions throughout the molecule; one part of the water molecule is more electronegative than the rest. Water shows two regions of slightly positive and negative region; water is a dipolar molecule.  Due to these unequal repulsions the water molecule is not linear but has a skewed shape.

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Because of the negative and positive ends in the water molecule, water molecules will be attracted to each other. These forces are called hydrogen bonds which makes the properties of water very special. The hydrogen bonds mean that water is a good solvent, cohesive, habitat and temperature stabiliser

It acts as a good solvent  as many substances can be dissolved into water. All polar and ionic substances, which have charges, are attracted to the electronegative molecule. This means that the substances will disperse throughout the water and be dissolved. These substances are called hydrophilic, and substances which ...

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