AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

Chapter 3: Water and the Fitness of the Environment

Terms : Hide Images
32925485polar moleculeatoms that, when combined, have an unequal distribution of electrons; the two ends of this conjunction have opposite charges
32925486cohesionone of the emergent properties of water; the holding together of hydrogen bonds in order to create a substance
32925487adhesionthe clinging of one substance to another
32925488surface tensiona measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break the surface of a liquid; water has a great amount of this due to the intricate patterns and layers of hydrogen bonds
32925489moderation of temperatureone of the emergent properties of water; water has this effect on air by either absorbing or releasing its heat
32925490kinetic energyenergy of motion
32925491heata form of energy; the measure of matter's total kinetic energy, thus dependent somewhat on volume
32925492temperaturea measure of heat intensity that represents the average kinetic energy of the molecules, regardless of volume
32925493caloriethe amount of heat it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius; conversely, also the amount of heat that 1 gram of water releases when it cools by 1 degree Celsius
32925494kilocaloriequantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius; 1000 of these = 1 calorie
32925495specific heatthe amount of heat that must be absorbed or lost for 1 gram of that substance to change its temperature 1 degree Celsius
32925496heat of vaporizationthe quantity of heat a liquid must absorb for 1 gram of it to be converted from the liquid to the gaseous state; this is caused by hydrogen bonds
32925497evaporative coolingoccurs as a liquid evaporates when the surface that remains behind cools down; occurs because the molecules with the most kinetic energy are the most likely to leave as a gas; this prevents overheating and maintains stability
32925498insulation by iceone of the emergent properties of water; occurs because the liquid form of water is more dense than the solid form of water (ice)
32925499solvent of lifeone of the emergent properties of water; results from solutions that include water
32925500solutiona liquid that is a completely homogenous mixture of two or more substances
32925501solventthe dissolving agent of a solution
32925502solutethe substance that is dissolved in a solution
32925503aqueous solutiona solution in which water is the solvent; water is versatile as a solvent because of its positive and negative molecular structure
32925504hydration shellthe sphere of water molecules around each dissolved ion in a solution
32925505hydrophilicany substance that has an affinity for water
32925506colloida substance that can be hydrophilic without actually dissolving in water because, instead, they remain suspended in the aqueous liquid of the cells
32925507hydrophobicany substance that does not have an affinity for water; also, a substance that repels water, perhaps because of its inability to form hydrogen bonds
32925508molecular massthe sum of the masses of all atoms in a molecule
32925509molerepresentative of an exact number (6.02x10^23) of objects
32925510molaritythe number of moles of solute per liter of solution; unit of concentration most often used by biologists for aqueous solutions
32925511hydrogen iona single gained proton of a water molecule with a charge of 1+
32925512hydroxide iona lost proton from a water molecule with a charge of 1-
32925513hydronium ionwhat forms when a proton lost from water bonds with another water molecule
32925514acida substance that increases the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution; donates additional H+ to solutions when dissolved in water
32925515basea substance that reduces the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution; reduces H+ concentration by accepting H+ ions into itself OR by dissociation to form OH-
32925516pHa solution that is defined by negative logarithm (base 10) of the hydrogen ion concentration: ___ = -log[H+]
32925517bufferssubstances that minimize changes in the concentrations of H+ and OH- in a solution; these allow for a relatively constant pH in biological fluids by accepting H+ ions; most contain a weak acid and its corresponding base
32925518acid precipitationrain, snow, or fog with a pH lower than 5.2 (uncontaminated rain has a pH of 5.6 because of carbonic acid from carbon dioxide and water); this occurs when water reacts with gases in the air; damages life in lakes and streams and adversely affects soil chemistry

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!