Water:
The Molecule that Supports all Life
1
, Learning objectives
• Describe the structure of a water molecule and explain how
this results in the polarity of a water molecule.
• Explain the relationship between the polar nature of water
and its ability to form hydrogen bonds
• List water’s four emergent properties that result from
hydrogen bonding
• Distinguish between hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances
2
, 75% Earth’s surface is water
All living organisms require water
Only common substance to exist in all three
physical states, liquid, solid, and gas in the
natural environment.
Molecule that supports all life
ICF is main component
of cytosol
Cells are about 70 - 95% water. Proteins, the Biological medium. Most
Cells in multicellular organisms are surrounded
next most abundant substance in our body intracellular reactions
by water (interstitial fluid, IF). Anatomy &
after water, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) occur in an aqueous Physiology. Provided by: OpenStax CNX. Located
at: http://cnx.org/contents/14fb4ad7-39a1-4eee-ab6e-
work in aqueous solution (solvent + solute). solution, the cytosol. 3ef2482e3e22@8.25.
The Molecule that Supports all Life
1
, Learning objectives
• Describe the structure of a water molecule and explain how
this results in the polarity of a water molecule.
• Explain the relationship between the polar nature of water
and its ability to form hydrogen bonds
• List water’s four emergent properties that result from
hydrogen bonding
• Distinguish between hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances
2
, 75% Earth’s surface is water
All living organisms require water
Only common substance to exist in all three
physical states, liquid, solid, and gas in the
natural environment.
Molecule that supports all life
ICF is main component
of cytosol
Cells are about 70 - 95% water. Proteins, the Biological medium. Most
Cells in multicellular organisms are surrounded
next most abundant substance in our body intracellular reactions
by water (interstitial fluid, IF). Anatomy &
after water, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) occur in an aqueous Physiology. Provided by: OpenStax CNX. Located
at: http://cnx.org/contents/14fb4ad7-39a1-4eee-ab6e-
work in aqueous solution (solvent + solute). solution, the cytosol. 3ef2482e3e22@8.25.
