Essential Biology 03.

1: Chemical Elements and Water

1. What are the four most commonly occurring elements in living things?

Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen are the four most commonly occurring
elements in living things.

2. State some functions of each of these elements in living things:

a. Iron Symbol: Fe Ion:

Function(s): oxygen binding component of haemolobin (animals) and is

used to make chlorophyll and used in photosynthesis (plants)

a. Sulphur Symbol: S Ion: 4H2S (hydrogen sulphide)

Function(s): found in amino acids, reactant for chemosynthetic bacteria

b. Calcium Symbol: Ca Ion: CaCO2 (calcium carbonate)

Function(s): synaptic transmission, muscle contraction, structure of bones

and teeth and blood clotting

c. Phosphorous Symbol: P Ion:

Function(s): phospholipid bilayer formation and active component in ATP

molecules, make up part of “backbone” of DNA

d. Sodium Symbol: Na Ion: NaCl (sodium chloride)

Function(s): action potential for nerve impulse and is main cotion in blood
plasma

e. Potassium Symbol: K Ion:

Function(s): nerve impulses and has a strong influence in osmosis, main

cotion in cell cytoplasm.

3. In the space below, draw three water molecules attracted to one another
by hydrogen bonding. Include labels to show the polarity of the molecules.
Annotate: How does H-bonding work?

Stephen Taylor Bandung International School

http://sciencevideos.wordpress.com
Essential Biology 03.1: Chemical Elements and Water

The oxygen end is

Hydrogen bones are the
σ- slightly negative
attractions between O
Not as strong as
polar molecules
σ+ H H σ+ covalent bonds but
σ- σ- attracts to opposite
O O charge
σ+ H H σ+ H H σ+
σ+
The hydrogen end is
slightly positive

6. Water has many properties which are essential for life. Complete the table below.

Explanation Significance to living things

Water has a high specific heat capacity Most organisms have a narrow range
which means that it takes a lot of of conditions that they can live in, the
energy for the temperature to change slow temperature changes are
suitable for these organisms as there
Thermal Properties due to the many h-bonds which in turn is no extreme change in a short
causes the temperature to remain period of time. Water is also a good
generally stable. coolant, it heats slower than air or
land which is good for animals in
warmer climates and the evaporation
of water also removes a lot of heat.
This helps avoid damaged tissues and
denature proteins that cause
enzymes to stop working due to high
temperatures.
Hydrogen bonds when in big numbers Capillary action allows water to move
are strong which causes it to be against gravity which allows tops of
cohesive which means the molecules trees to be nourished. Surface tension
Cohesion stick to each other. Water will also allows the water to be strong enough
to support insects as well as form
stick to other surfaces. droplets on surfaces such as leaves
which provide food sources for some
organisms.

Due to the fact that water is a polar
molecule it dissolves polar solutes
easily making water a good solvent.
Solvent Properties
(include uses as a coolant, medium for metabolic reactions, transport medium)
Ionic solids dissociate in water which
means they break into their ions, the
more soluble the solute, the easier it
is to isolate the ions. It is also useful
for metabolic reactions because
dissolved particles can diffuse and
are likely to collide causing a
reactions. Water also is a good
transport medium as it allows for the
nutrients that are dissolved to be
carried through the circulatory
system through diffusion or
interstitial fluid. Water is also dense
allowing organisms to float or swim in
water.

Stephen Taylor Bandung International School

http://sciencevideos.wordpress.com