Water as the Medium of Life
The first cells originated in this substance.
What is water?
The unequal sharing of electrons in a covalent bond within a water molecule results in this polarity.
What is a polar covalent bond?
This property of water allows molecules to stick together, enabling processes like water movement in plants.
What is cohesion?
This term describes substances that dissolve in water because of their polarity or charge.
What are hydrophilic molecules?
This is the key property of water that makes it a focus in the search for extraterrestrial life.
What is being a solvent?
This property of water helps stabilize biological structures like DNA and proteins.
What is maintaining biological structure?
This part of a water molecule has a partial negative charge due to its attraction to shared electrons.
What is oxygen?
Water’s ability to adhere to other surfaces and resist breaking apart creates this effect on its surface.
What is surface tension?
Water dissolves solutes by forming these bonds with their charged or polar atoms.
What are hydrogen bonds?
This zone around a star is considered optimal for the presence of liquid water.
What is the Goldilocks zone?
Water’s ability to resist temperature changes due to its high specific heat makes it this kind of buffer.
What is a temperature buffer?
Hydrogen bonds between water molecules are a result of this attractive force.
What is the attraction between partial charges?
This insect benefits from surface tension by being able to walk on water.
What is a water strider?
These molecules repel water due to their lack of polarity and inability to dissolve.
What are hydrophobic molecules?
This property of water allows it to facilitate chemical reactions essential for life.
What is solubility or solvent capability?
This property makes water a participant in metabolic processes like photosynthesis and digestion.
What is being a metabolite?
These types of covalent bonds share electrons equally, in contrast to polar covalent bonds.
What are non-polar covalent bonds?
This combination of cohesion and adhesion allows water to move through the xylem of plants.
What is capillary action?
These transport materials, like glucose and salts, dissolve in water in plants and animals.
What are solutes?
The search for these on other planets often focuses on the presence of liquid water.
What are signs of life?
Life depends on water because it acts as this, facilitating chemical reactions by dissolving substances.
What is a solvent?
This type of bond forms between an oxygen and a hydrogen atom within a water molecule.
What is a polar covalent bond?
This property is responsible for water molecules sticking to other polar or charged substances.
What is adhesion?
This is an example of a molecule whose hydrophobic properties help it form cell membranes.
What are phospholipids?
These molecules interact with water’s polarity, enabling metabolism and life functions.
What are hydrophilic molecules?