Abdul Rajeeb L.

Lucman
01/16/17
France Dave A. Mabuyo Sir Don
Lariosa

Unique Characteristics of Water

1. Water As The Universal Solvent

Because of water's polarity, it is able to dissolve or dissociate many particles.
Oxygen has a slightly negative charge, while the two hydrogens have a slightly
positive charge. The slightly negative particles of a compound will be attracted
to water's hydrogen atoms, while the slightly positive particles will be attracted
to water's oxygen molecule; this causes the solute to dissolve.

Figure 1: Saltwater - a saline solution. Figure 2: A

cup of coffee.

Figure 3: A glass of juice.

2. Lesser Density of Ice (Waters Solid State) Than Water
All substances, become less dense when they are heated and denser when they
are cooled. However, in the case of water, it becomes denser, but when it
exceeds 4C, it becomes LESS DENSE, making water one of the few substances
whose solid state can float on its liquid state! When freezing, molecules within
water begin to move around more slowly, making it easier for them to form
hydrogen bonds and eventually arrange themselves into an open crystalline,
hexagonal structure, increasing the volume of water about 9%. Water expands
upon freezing, so molecules are more tightly packed in water's liquid state than
its solid state. This is why a can of soda can explode in the freezer.

Figure 4: An iceberg. Figure 5: Ice floating on lakes

during winter.

Figure 6: Ice on a glass of water.

3. Cohesion of Water
Have you ever filled a glass of water to the very top and then slowly added a few
more drops? Before it overflows, the water forms a dome-like shape above the
rim of the glass. This dome-like shape forms due to the water molecules
 cohesive properties, or their tendency to stick to one another. Cohesion refers
to the attraction of molecules for other molecules of the same kind, and water
molecules have strong cohesive forces thanks to their ability to form hydrogen
bonds with one another.

Figure 7: Sphere-shaped drop of water due to cohesion. Figure 8: Water filled

to the very brim.

Figure 9: 'Sticking' of water on a faucet.

4. Surface Tension
Surface tension is the property of liquids to resist external forces. Remember
cohesion? Beside mercury, water has the highest surface tension because of the
cohesive forces that hold together one molecule to the same molecule anywhere
 around it. Because of this, you can see some insects specifically water striders
walking on water.

Figure 10: Water strider walking on water. Figure 11: Needle floating on
water.

Figure 12: Dry leaves on water during fall.

5. Adhesion of Water
Water likes to stick to itself, but under certain circumstances, it actually prefers
to stick to other molecules. Adhesion is the attraction of molecules of one kind
for molecules of a different kind, and it can be quite strong for water, especially
with other molecules bearing positive or negative charges.
 For instance, adhesion enables water to climb upwards through thin glass
tubes (called capillary tubes) placed in a beaker of water. This upward motion
against gravity, known as capillary action, depends on the attraction between
water molecules and the glass walls of the tube (adhesion), as well as on
interactions between water molecules (cohesion).

Figure 13: Adhesion of water on leaves.

Figure 14: Capillary action.

Figure 15: Morning dew on spider web.

References
Cohesion and Adhesion of Water. (2017, January 15). Retrieved from
KHANACADEMY: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/water-acids-
and-bases/cohesion-and-adhesion/a/cohesion-and-adhesion-in-water
Unusual Properties of Water. (2017, January 15). Retrieved from LibreText:
http://chem.libretexts.org/Core/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry/Physical_
Properties_of_Matter/Bulk_Properties/Unusual_Properties_of_Water