chemistry of water - no organism can survive/reproduce w/o water  

• carries no net charge or unpaired electrons
• can form weak chemical associations w/ a fraction of covalent bonds' strength
• oxygen atom portion has partial negative charge
• hydrogen atoms portion have partial positive charge
• polar molecules - has charge separation and partially charged poles
• hydrogen bonds - very weak bonds that last for a short while between hydrogen atoms
• cohesion - attraction between water molecules
• adhesion - attraction between water molecules and other molecules
• surface tension - causes water to cling together, allowing some insects to walk on it
• capillary action - water rises in very narrow tubes due to adhesion

heat storage in water - temperature measures how fast the molecules move  

• specific heat - energy needed to change 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree C
• heats up more slowly than most compounds, holds heat longer
• heat of vaporization - energy needed to change 1 gram of liquid into gas
• 586 calories needed to change 1 gram of water into water vapor; causes cooling on the surface
• ice is less dense than liquid water because hydrogen atoms space out the molecules

water as a solvent - forms hydrogen bonds to break up ions or polar molecules  

• hydration shell - formed around molecules to prevent it from associating with other molecules of its kind
• hydrophobic - nonpolar molecules that don't form hydrogen bonds w/ water
• hydrophilic - molecules that readily form hydrogen bonds w/ water
• hydrophobic exclusion - tendency for nonpolar molecules to group together in water

ionization - separationg of H20 into hydrogen ion and hydroxide ion  

• ph scale - based on the hydrogen ion concentration
• each ph level is 10 times as much acidic/basic than the surrounding levels
• acids - increases hydrogen ion concentration; ph values below 7
• bases - lowers hydrogen ion concentration; ph values above 7
• buffer - minimalizes pH changes; acts as a resevoir for hydrogen ions