Water is a unique substance, the basis of all living organisms on the planet. She can acquire different shape and be in three states. What are the main physical and chemical properties of water? These are the ones that will be discussed in our article.

Water is...

Water is the most common inorganic compound on our planet. The physical and chemical properties of water are determined by the composition of its molecules.

Thus, the structure of a water molecule contains two hydrogen atoms (H) and one oxygen atom (O). Under normal environmental conditions, it is a tasteless, odorless and colorless liquid. Water can also exist in other states: in the form of steam or in the form of ice.

More than 70% of our planet is covered with water. Moreover, about 97% occurs in the seas and oceans, so most of it is not suitable for human consumption. About what are the basic chemical properties drinking water- you will find out further.

Water in nature and human life

Water is an essential component of any living organism. In particular, human body, as you know, more than 70% consists of water. Moreover, scientists suggest that it was in this environment that life on Earth originated.

Water is found (in the form of water vapor or droplets) in different layers of the atmosphere. It reaches the earth's surface from the atmosphere in the form of rain or other precipitation (snow, dew, hail, frost) through condensation processes.

Water is an object of research for a number of scientific disciplines. Among them are hydrology, hydrography, hydrogeology, limnology, glaciology, oceanology and others. All these sciences, one way or another, study the physical as well as chemical properties of water.

Water is actively used by humans in their economic activities, in particular:

• for growing crops;
• in industry (as a solvent);
• in energy (as a coolant);
• for extinguishing fires;
• in cooking;
• in pharmacy and so on.

Of course, in order to effectively use this substance in economic activity, the chemical properties of water should be studied in detail.

Types of water

As mentioned above, water in nature can be in three states: liquid (actually water), solid (ice crystals) and gaseous (steam). It can also take on any form.

There are several types of water. So, depending on the content of Ca and Na cations, water can be:

• hard;
• soft.

• fresh;
• mineral;
• salty.

In esotericism and some religions there is water:

• dead;
• alive;
• holy.

In chemistry there are also such concepts as distilled and deionized water.

Formula of water and its biological significance

Hydrogen oxide is what chemists call this substance. The formula of water is: H 2 O. It means that this compound consists of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms.

The unique chemical properties of water have determined its exceptional role for the life of living organisms. It is thanks to water that biological life exists on our planet.

The most unique feature of water is that it perfectly dissolves huge amount other substances (both organic and inorganic origin). An important consequence of this feature is that all chemical reactions in living organisms occur quite quickly.

In addition, due to the unique properties of water, it remains in a liquid state over an extremely wide temperature range.

Physical properties of water

Thanks to unique hydrogen bonds, water, under standard environmental conditions, is in a liquid state. This explains the extremely high boiling point of water. If the molecules of the substance were not connected by these hydrogen bonds, then water would boil at +80 degrees and freeze at -100 degrees.

Water boils at +100 degrees Celsius and freezes at zero degrees. True, under certain, specific conditions, it can begin to freeze even at positive temperatures. When water freezes, it increases in volume (due to a decrease in density). By the way, this is almost the only substance in nature that has such physical property. Besides water, the only things that expand when frozen are bismuth, antimony, germanium and gallium.

The substance is also characterized by high viscosity, as well as fairly strong surface tension. Water is an excellent solvent for polar substances. You should also know that water conducts electricity very well. This feature is explained by the fact that water almost always contains large number ions of salts dissolved in it.

Chemical properties of water (grade 8)

Water molecules have extremely high polarity. Therefore, this substance in reality consists not only of simple molecules of the type H 2 O, but also of complex aggregates (formula - (H 2 O) n).

Chemically, water is very active; it reacts with many other substances, even at ordinary temperatures. When interacting with oxides of alkali and alkaline earth metals, it forms bases.

Water is also capable of dissolving a wide range of chemicals- salts, acids, bases, some gases. For this property it is often called a universal solvent. All substances, depending on whether they dissolve in water or not, are usually divided into two groups:

• hydrophilic (dissolves well in water) - salts, acids, oxygen, carbon dioxide, etc.;
• hydrophobic (poorly soluble in water) - fats and oils.

Water also enters into chemical reactions with some metals (for example, sodium), and also takes part in the process of photosynthesis in plants.

In conclusion...

Water is the most common inorganic substance on our planet. It is found almost everywhere: on the earth’s surface and in its interior, in the mantle and in rocks ah, in high layers of the atmosphere and even in space.

The chemical properties of water are determined by its chemical composition. It belongs to the group chemically active substances. Water interacts with many substances

Date: 2009-01-30

Water- one of the most unique substances on Earth. Despite the rapid development modern science, until now scientists have not fully studied the nature of this seemingly simple substance! Because of its apparent simplicity, people on Earth have long considered water to be a simple, indivisible substance. And only thanks to the English scientist G. Cavendish in 1766, people learned that water is not a simple chemical element, but a compound of hydrogen and oxygen. Later, A. Lavoisier (France) proved the same thing in 1783.

Behind the simple formula H 2 O, it turns out there is a mysterious substance that many leading minds in science still cannot solve. Water- a chemical compound consisting of 11.11% hydrogen and 88.89% (by weight) oxygen. Chemically pure water is a colorless, odorless and tasteless liquid.

Water has a number of unique and animalistic properties, which we will now consider.

Water- the only liquid on Earth for which the dependence of specific heat capacity on temperature has a minimum. This minimum is realized at a temperature of +35 0 C. At the same time, the normal temperature of the human body, which consists of two-thirds (and even more at a young age) of water, is in the temperature range of 36-38 0 C.

Specific heat capacity of water is 4180 J/(kg 0 C) at 0 0 C. The specific heat of fusion when ice transitions into liquid state is 330 kJ/kg, specific heat vaporization - 2250 kJ/kg at normal pressure and temperature 100 0 C.

Heat capacity of water abnormally high. To heat a certain amount of it by one degree, it is necessary to spend more energy than when heating other liquids.

This results in the unique ability of water to retain heat. The vast majority of other substances do not have this property. This exceptional feature of water helps maintain a person’s normal body temperature at the same level both during a hot day and a cool night.

From the above it follows that water plays main role in the processes of regulating human heat exchange and allows him to maintain a comfortable state with a minimum of energy costs.

As a result significant amounts heat capacity and latent heat of transformation of water, its huge volumes on the surface of the Earth represent heat accumulators. These same properties of water determine its use in industry as a coolant. Thermal characteristics water is one of the most important factors in the stability of the biosphere.

The next unique thing about water is its density. The density of most liquids, crystals and gases decreases when heated and increases when cooled, until the process of crystallization or condensation. Density of water when cooled from 100 to 3.98 0 C, it increases, as with the vast majority of liquids. But, having reached its maximum value at a temperature of 3.98 0 C, the density begins to decrease with further cooling of the water. In other words, the maximum density of water is observed at a temperature of 3.98 0 C, and not at the freezing point of 0 0 C.

The freezing of water is accompanied by an abrupt decrease in density by 9%, while for most other substances the crystallization process is accompanied by an increase in density. In this regard, ice occupies a larger volume than liquid water and remains on its surface.

This unusual behavior of water density is extremely important for maintaining life on Earth. Covering the water from above, ice plays in nature the role of a kind of floating blanket, protecting rivers and reservoirs from further freezing and preserving life in the underwater world. If the density of water increased as it froze, the ice would be heavier than the water and begin to sink, which would lead to the death of all living creatures in rivers, lakes and oceans, which would freeze completely, turning into blocks of ice, and the Earth would become an ice desert, which is inevitable would lead to the death of all living things.

Of all liquids, water has the highest surface tension.

Surface tension coefficientσ, H/m of some liquids at a temperature of 20 0 C are given in the table below

Water is the strongest universal solvent. If given enough time, it can dissolve almost any solid. It is precisely because of the unique dissolving ability of water that no one has yet managed to obtain chemically clean water- it always contains dissolved material from the vessel.

Since a person consists of 65% (in old age) and 75% (in childhood) of water, naturally it is absolutely necessary for all key human life support systems. It is found in human blood (79%) and promotes the dissolved transport of thousands of substances necessary for life through the circulatory system. Water is contained in lymph (96%), which carries nutrients from the intestines to the tissues of a living organism.

Indeed, looking at the properties of water, we can conclude that any of the properties of water is unique. Only water is the only substance on the planet that can exist in three states - liquid, solid and gaseous. Thus, water plays an important role in the energy-information exchange of humans with nature. According to some scientists, it has memory and can both heal and destroy.

Source: Kurganov A.M., Fedorov N.F. Hydraulic calculations water supply and sanitation systems: Handbook. 1986

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Water plays an extremely important role in nature. It creates favorable conditions for the life of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Water remains a liquid in the temperature range most favorable for their life processes; for a huge mass of organisms it is a habitat. The unique properties of water are of inimitable value for the life of organisms. In reservoirs, water freezes from top to bottom, which is of great importance for the organisms living in them.

Abnormally high specific heat water favors the accumulation of colossal amounts of heat, promotes slow heating and cooling. Organisms living in water are protected from sharp spontaneous fluctuations in temperature and composition, as they constantly adapt to slow rhythmic fluctuations - daily, seasonal, annual, and so on. Water has a softening effect on weather and climate conditions. It constantly moves in all spheres of the Earth, along with the circulation flows of the atmosphere - over long distances. The circulation of water in the ocean (sea currents) leads to planetary heat and moisture exchange. The role of water as a powerful geological factor is known. Exogenous geological processes on Earth are associated with the activity of water as an erosive agent. The erosion and destruction of rocks, soil erosion, and the transport and deposition of substances are important geological processes associated with water.

Most organic substances in the biosphere are products of photosynthesis, as a result of which organic substances are formed from carbon dioxide and water in plants that use light energy from the Sun. Water is the only source of oxygen released into the atmosphere during photosynthesis. Water is necessary for biochemical and physiological processes occurring in the body. Living organisms, including humans, which consist of 80% water, cannot do without it. Loss of 10-20% of water leads to their death.

Water plays a huge role in human life support. It is used directly for drinking and household needs, as a means of transportation and raw material for the production of industrial and agricultural products, it has recreational value, and its aesthetic significance is great. This is far from a complete enumeration of the role of water in nature and human life.

In nature, water is not found in chemically pure form. It represents solutions of complex composition, which include gases (O 2, CO 2, H 2 S, CH 4 and others), organic and mineral substances. Moving water streams contain suspended particles. The vast majority of chemical elements are found in natural waters. Ocean waters contain an average of 35 g/dm 3 (34.6-35.0 ‰) salts. Their main part consists of chlorides (88.7%), sulfates (10.8%) and carbonates (0.3%). The least mineralized waters are precipitation waters, ultra-fresh waters of mountain streams and fresh lakes.

Depending on the content of dissolved minerals, waters are distinguished: fresh with a content of dissolved salts up to 1 g/dm 3, brackish - up to 1-25 g/dm 3, salty - more than 25 g/dm 3. The boundary between fresh and brackish waters is taken to be the average lower limit of human taste perception. The boundary between brackish and saline waters was established on the basis that with a mineralization of 25 g/dm 3, the freezing temperature and maximum density are quantitatively the same.

Four elements of nature, four elements gave birth to life on Earth - fire, air, earth and water. Moreover, water appeared on our planet several million years earlier than the same soil or air.

It would seem that water has already been studied by man, but scientists are still finding the most amazing facts about this natural element.

Water stands apart in the history of our planet.
There is no natural body that could
compare with it in terms of influence on the course of the main
the most ambitious geological processes.
V.I. Vernadsky

Water is the most abundant inorganic compound on earth. And the first exceptional property of water is that it consists of compounds of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. It would seem that such a connection, according to chemical laws, must be gaseous. And water is liquid!

For example, everyone knows that water exists in nature in three states: solid, liquid and vapor. But now there are more than 20 states of water, of which only 14 are water in a frozen state.

Surprisingly, water is the only substance on Earth whose density in the solid state is less than in the liquid state. This is why ice does not sink and water bodies do not freeze to the very bottom. Except at extremely cold temperatures.

Another fact: water is a universal solvent. Based on the quantity and quality of elements and minerals dissolved in water, scientists distinguish approximately 1,330 types of water: mineral and melt water, rain and dew, glacial and artesian...

Water in nature

In nature, water plays vital role. At the same time, it turns out to be involved in a variety of mechanisms and life cycles on the ground. Here are just a few facts that clearly demonstrate its importance for our planet:

• The importance of the water cycle in nature is simply enormous. It is this process that allows animals and plants to receive the moisture so necessary for their life and existence.
• Seas and oceans, rivers and lakes - all bodies of water play a vital role in creating the climate of a particular area. And the high heat capacity of water provides comfortable temperature regime on our planet.
• Water plays a key role in the process of photosynthesis. Without water, plants would not be able to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, which means the air would be unsuitable for breathing.

Water in human life

The main consumer of water on Earth is man. It is no coincidence that all world civilizations were formed and developed exclusively near bodies of water. The importance of water in human life is simply enormous.

• The human body also consists of water. In the body of a newborn - up to 75% water, in the body of an elderly person - more than 50%. It is known that without water a person cannot survive. So, when at least 2% of water disappears from our body, painful thirst begins. If more than 12% of water is lost, a person will no longer recover without the help of doctors. And having lost 20% of water from the body, a person dies.
• Water is an extremely important source of nutrition for humans. According to statistics, a person normally consumes 60 liters of water per month (2 liters per day).
• It is water that delivers oxygen and nutrients to every cell of our body.
• Thanks to the presence of water, our body can regulate body temperature.
• Water also allows you to convert food into energy and helps cells absorb nutrients. Water also removes toxins and waste from our body.
• People everywhere use water for their needs: for nutrition, agriculture, for various production, for power generation. It is not surprising that the struggle for water resources is serious. Here are just a few facts:

More than 70% of our planet is covered with water. But at the same time, only 3% of all water can be classified as drinking water. And access to this resource becomes more and more difficult every year. Thus, according to RIA Novosti, over the past 50 years, more than 500 conflicts related to the struggle for water resources have occurred on our planet. Of these, more than 20 conflicts escalated into armed clashes. This is just one of the numbers that clearly demonstrates how important the role of water is in human life.

Water pollution

Water pollution is the process of saturation of water bodies harmful substances, industrial waste and household waste, as a result of which water loses most of its functions and becomes unsuitable for further consumption.

Main sources of pollution:

1. Oil refineries
2. Heavy metals
3. Radioactive elements
4. Pesticide
5. Effluent from city sewers and livestock farms.

Scientists have long been sounding the alarm that the world's oceans annually receive over 13 million tons of waste oil products. At the same time, the Pacific Ocean receives up to 9 million tons, and the Atlantic - more than 30 million tons.

According to the World Health Organization, there are no longer any sources on our planet that contain pure natural water. There are only bodies of water that are less polluted than others. And this threatens the catastrophe of our civilization, since humanity simply cannot survive without water. And there is nothing to replace it with.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth

The earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the abyss, and the Spirit of God hovered over the Water.

Water is the source of life

Greetings, visitors to the Best website about.

Is it really water is the source of life? Which unique properties water allow water save status " source of life«?

Here are some excerpts from the evidence base:

1. ORIGIN OF LIFE ON EARTH.

The versions of the origin of the world that exist today confirm the idea that water really is source of life. Directly or indirectly. But that's true.

The first (for me personally and the last) is that the Earth is God's Creation. The important point of this fact is that God did not create his Creation in one day. Before the appearance of “life” as such, God had preparatory periods in order to created life was initially provided with everything necessary for existence, development and procreation. The most important element in this aspect is water. She was created along with the abyss. And then “the Spirit of God hovered over the waters” and formed (developed life) from existing matter with love, care and guardianship.

It should be clear that everything was not as simple as it was for Papa Carlo, who whittled Pinocchio out of a log. I think our minds cannot fully understand this beautiful mystery of the creation of the world. It is important to believe and understand the key points here.

The second version of the creation of life on Earth is through biological evolution. According to followers of this version, at some point in the Earth’s existence, the prerequisites for the emergence of life appeared on it. However, water is important for this version too. There is a lot of strong evidence that life came out of water. For example, only planet Earth has three states of water and this assumes favorable conditions to start life. Since all forms of life depend on water, water is considered as the source, matrix, mother of life.

Whatever theory of the origin of life we ​​take, at some point in this theory water appears with the subsequent development of life.

2. THE COMPOSITION OF ORGANIC NATURE proves that water is the source of life.

Water is essential for all forms of life. For example, it makes up 60 to 70% of the mass of all living organisms (some organisms are 95% water) and has important for photosynthesis. The viability of all life on Earth is determined mainly by the availability of water.

3. FUNCTIONS OF WATER FOR ALL LIFE show the paramount importance of water in the universe:

- at the cellular level, water is the skeleton of the cell, maintaining its turgor, the main medium for all biochemical reactions and vehicle for nutrients.

This is very important for organic nature and plants for photosynthesis processes.

D) Water is characterized as optimal for biological systems force value n surface tension. This tension is greater compared to other liquids. Surface tension provides fluidity to water. Look at the river. Near the shore, the water is almost stagnant; in more central areas, water movement and fluidity are more pronounced. This allows various types fish find their territory. Smaller fish live closer to the shore; The larger ones that can handle resistance live closer to the center.

The viscosity of water creates turbulence. This is an important property of water for the process of water aeration and better mixing of small microorganisms.

D). Energy information properties of water

Today, many scientists recognize that water is an amazing substance, capable of effectively collecting information from everything it comes into contact with!

This is similar to recordings on digital media!!!

Doctor of alternative medicine, Japanese scientist and healer Masaru Emoto, with his research shows that water has unique energy-informational properties. This gives water the ability to store and transmit information.

In his work Messages from Water, he argues that human consciousness influences the molecular structure of water. According to Dr. Emoto, thoughts and words have a unique magnetic code that can interact with water.

As a result, water creates either beautiful and harmonious forms or ugly ones, depending on the words and emotions that accompany our words.

Maybe this property of water is used in the sacrament of consecrating water in various religions and using it to heal the soul and body? Of course, except important moment. Holy water is sanctified by God, not people.

In principle, water responds to a very wide range of electromagnetic vibrations. She reflects fundamental properties the universe as a whole. Who knows, maybe this fact plays a radical role for water as a source of life.

How all these qualities of water are maintained is incomprehensible to our minds. But this further emphasizes the importance of water for living things. We can only state these facts and use them in our lives.

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF WATER

The taste, color, smell and even color of water depends on its chemical composition, which is represented in a wide variety due to the excellent properties of water as a solvent. The location of the water also plays a direct role in this matter.

All water sources on Earth are divided into two types: surface and underground. Surface waters include oceans, lakes, rivers and glaciers.

Groundwater lies on different distances from the surface of the earth. They include interstratal, artesian and karst. The best for consumption are interstratal waters.

Thanks to its solvent properties, water is an excellent storehouse of useful chemical elements. For example, in underground water the entire Periodic Table of L.I. Mendeleev is presented, including rare earths. In addition, such water is poor in microorganisms. There are practically no pathogens in them.

But their use for everyday drinking is excluded due to the same mineral composition. But this makes it possible to use them for medicinal purposes.

Main groups of water:

—with very low mineral salt content—up to 50 mg/l - suitable for cooking and household needs

—low in mineral salts —from 0 to 100 mg/l -suitable for cooking and drinking

—with optimal mineral content salts100-500mg/l . Is optimal for drinking;

WITH acceptable content of mineral salts— up to 1000 mg/l- also suitable for daily use;

—with a high content of mineral salts - 1000- 8000 mg/l -used as prescribed by a doctor.

-Water with salt content more than 8000 mg/ It is considered purely therapeutic and is used strictly as prescribed by a doctor for a very limited period.

2.Depending on the content of calcium and magnesium salts, the water may be tough And soft.

—Hard water contains many minerals. It owes its origin to reservoirs that are located at a depth of several tens of meters from the surface of the earth. The saturation of water with minerals (mainly calcium, magnesium, sodium and iron) occurs as it passes through the soil. This water forms salt deposits on everything it comes into contact with, such as plumbing fixtures, a kettle or a dishwasher. When storing such water, a precipitate forms as a result of the oxidation of divalent iron, which is in trivalent iron. The water becomes cloudy and turns yellow.

—Soft water originates from surface water bodies and contains much less minerals.

3. Depending on pH, water can be acidic or alkaline (pH from 6-9). Hydrocarbonate water (with CO2 and HCO ions) has a sweetish taste and a more alkaline reaction.

4. If the water contains a high content of any specific mineral - fluorine, bromine, silicon, then it can be used for medicinal and preventive purposes.

Thus unique properties of water allow water to remain a source of life. I would like to say separately about water - the source of spiritual life, because in Christianity, spiritual life begins with baptism. And this is life itself.

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Discussion: 19 comments

Water is a miracle of nature. You need to maintain a drinking regime. They recommend up to 2.5 liters per day. Thanks for the article.

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Water has many healing properties, that's right.

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I agree with you completely. Water is very useful and necessary. But I have to force myself to drink just water:-((I don’t like it). But after your article I will try to drink water more often.

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Remember the movie “Volga-Volga”? There was a very correct song: But for a man without water there is neither here nor there...

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I also came to the conclusion that water is the key to health, the best medicine!

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Water is the basis, we need it no less than air. Thanks for the article.

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