Ch.3 Life on Earth is Aqueous!

Predominance of Water
-3/4 of earth covered with water (liquid & solid)
-cells are 70-95% water
-all organisms require water for survival
~ 1 week survival time for human without water!
LE 3-2

Hydrogen
bonds
Key properties of water defines behavior

-Polarity: partial positive and negative charges

-Hydrophilic nature: attracted to other water molecules

and charged particles
 Four of waters properties
- Cohesive behavior
- Ability to moderate temperature
- Expansion upon freezing
- Versatility as a solvent
 LE 3-3
Cohesion & Adhesion
>100 ft During Transpiration

Water-conducting cells

100 m
H2O
Cohesion
Water molecules hold together through H-bonds to other water molecules

Example
Cohesion helps transport water against gravity in plants from roots to stems during
transpiration

Adhesion
Waters attraction to other charged surfaces

Example
Waters attraction to cell walls helps upward transport against
gravity
Surface Tension:
Strong ordered film-like structure at interface
of water and atmosphere

Held together through H-bonds

Strength creates surface for small organisms to move across

 High specific heat
1 cal/g/oC
Amount of heat gained or lost to change the temperature
of 1g of water by 1C
Compare to alcohol: specific heat of 0.6 cal/g/oC

Consequence
Lessens temperature fluctuations to within limits
that permit life
Heat is absorbed to hydrogen bonds break
Heat is released when hydrogen bonds form
Evaporative Cooling
transformation of a substance from liquid to gas

Heat of vaporization
The amount of heat 1 g of liquid must absorb to be converted to
gas (water: ~580 cal/g at 25oC)
remaining surface cools during evaporation, a process called
evaporative cooling

Consequence
Evaporative cooling of water helps stabilize temperatures in
organisms and bodies of water
Perspiration: sensation?
Solid water (ice):
less dense than liquid because H-bonds more stable and
ordered; expansion occurs

Consequence:
Ice floats on liquid water
Insulates; prevents temperature fluctuations

Example: ponds and lakes in wintertime

aquatic organisms survive in the liquid water beneath ice
Polar solvent
Dissolves other polar or charged solutes
Examples: salts, polar proteins, nucleic acids

Creates an aqueous solution

-through
Hydration shells
H-bonds
LE 3-6

Hydration shells form around

cations and anions
Na
+
+
Causes salt crystals to dissolve +
In H2O
+

Na+

+ +
Cl Cl
+

+

+


LE 3-7a

Lysozyme molecule (protein)

in a nonaqueous environment.
LE 3-7b
Can you deduce what regions on lysozyme are positive and negative?

Lysozyme molecule in a aqueous environment.

 Concepts of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic

Hydrophilic substance
Attracted to water due to charged or polar nature
e.g. salts (ionic)
Hydrophobic substance
-Repelled by water due to nonpolar nature
e.g. oils, fats (nonpolar)

Important when considering the plasma membrane.

Aqueous chemistry in biological systems

Most biochemical reactions occur in water

Most reactions are highly sensitive to pH

Enzyme
Reactant-1 + Reactant-2 Product

What is pH and how does it relate to water?

 LE 3-UN53

Water occasionally produces protons (H+) and hydroxide ions (OH-)

Hydronium Hydroxide
ion (H3O+) ion (OH)

Simplified to H+
Water Dissociation
-Hydrogen involved in H-bonds in H2O can lose
electron

Results:
-H+ (proton) can bond with another H2O molecule
molecule with the extra proton is now a
hydronium ion (H3O+)

The molecule that lost the proton is now a

hydroxide ion (OH-)
 Dissociation of water molecules
Rare in pure water (25oC)
[H+]=10^-7 M
[OH-]=10^-7 M

Changes in concentrations of H+ and OH- drastically affect the chemistry

of a cell

Such changes alter the pH

pH
-reflects the molar concentration of H+ in a
solution
pH= -log[H+]

-increases in [H+] increase acidity

e.g. HCl (hydrochloric acid) readily
dissociates into H+ and Cl-

-increases in [OH-] raises alkalinity,

decreases in acidity

e.g. the base NaOH (sodium hydroxide)

readily dissociates into Na+ and OH-
 The pH Scale
pH 7 occurs when [H+] =[OH-]

Acidic solutions pH < 7, [H+] > [OH-]

Basic solutions pH > 7, [H+] < [OH-]

Most biological fluids: pH 6-8

LE 3-8
pH Scale
0

1
Battery acid

Increasingly Acidic
2 Digestive (stomach)
juice, lemon juice

[H+] > [OH]

3 Vinegar, beer, wine,
cola
4 Tomato juice

5 Black coffee
Rainwater
6 Urine

Neutral
7 Pure water
[H+] = [OH]
Human blood
8
Seawater
9
Increasingly Basic
[H+] < [OH]

10
Milk of magnesia
11
Household ammonia
12
Household bleach
13
Oven cleaner
14
 Calculating pH
Given:
pH= -log[H+]

Constant: Water ion product

10^-14 M^2= [H+][OH-]

What is the pH of a solution containing 10^-7 M H+? 10^-4 M

For the same solutions, what is the concentration of OH-?

Determine the concentration of H+ and OH- at pH 3.

Apparent small changes in pH value are really LARGE

Exponential!

Calculate the difference between pH 7 and pH 4

[H+] is10^3 x larger

 Buffers
pH of most living cells must remain close to pH 7

Buffers minimize changes in [H+] and [OH- ]in a solution

Most buffers consist of an acid-base pair that reversibly combines with

H+

H CO
2 3
HCO -
3
+ H+

carbonic acid bicarbonate

 The Damage of Acid Precipitation
Acid precipitation refers to rain, snow, or fog with a pH
lower than 5.6

Caused by the mixing of different pollutants with water in

the air e.g. sulfur and nitrogen oxides

Main source: combusted fossil fuels

Acid precipitation can damage life in lakes and streams

Leaches geological buffers from soils
Solubilizes toxic heavy metals e.g. aluminum
LE 3-9

0 More
1 acidic
2
3 Acid
4 rain
5
Normal
6 rain
7
8
9
10
11
12
13 More
14 basic