BIOLOGY II

CHAPTER 3 NOTES

 

Water contributes to the fitness of the environment to support life.

 

Can we have life without H2O?

·        Life on earth probably evolved in water.

·        Living cells are 70%-95% H2O

·        Water covers about ¾ of the earth.

·        In nature, water naturally exists in all three physical states of matter-solid, liquid and gas.

 

Water’s extraordinary properties are emergent properties resulting from water’s structure and molecular interactions.

 

I.                  The polarity of water molecules results in hydrogen bonding.

 

Water is a polar molecule.  Its polar bonds and asymmetrical shape give water molecules opposite charges on opposite sides.

What does it mean to be polar?

 

·        Four valence orbitals of O point to corners of a tetrahedron.

·        2 corners are orbitals with unshared pairs of electrons and weak negative charge.

·        2 corners are occupied by H atoms which are in polar covalent bonds with O.  Oxygen is so electronegative, that shared electrons spend more time around the O causing a weak postive charge near H’s.

 

 

Hydrogen bonding orders water into a higher level of structural organization.

 

·        The polar molecules of water are held together by hydrogen bonds.

·        Positively charged H of one molecule is attracted to the negatively charged O of another water molecule.

·        Each water molecule can form a maximum of four hydrogen bonds with neighboring water molecules.

 

Water has extraordinary properties that emerge as a consequence of its polarity and hydrogen-bonding. Some of these properties are that water:

Ñ   Has cohesive behavior

Ñ   Has a high heat of vaporization and cools surfaces as it evaporates.

Ñ   Expands when it freezes

Ñ   Is a versatile solvent

 

II.               Organisms depend on the cohesion of water molecules.

 

Cohesion= Phenomenon of a substance being held together by                

   hydrogen bonds.

·        Though hydrogen bonds are transient, enough water molecules are hydrogen bonded at any given time to give water more structure than other liquids.

·        Contributes to upward water transport (in plants) by holding the water column together.

Adhesion of water to vessel walls counteracts the downward

      pull of gravity.(clinging of one substance to another)

Example.   Miniscus of a graduated cylinder

 

 

Surface tension- Measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break

 the surface of a liquid.

·        Water has a greater surface tension than most liquids; function of the fact that the air/H2O interface, surface water molecules are hydrogen bonded to each other and to the water molecules below.

·        Causes H20 to bead (shape with smallest area to volume ratio and allows maximum hydrogen bonding).

Example:  soapy water bubble lab in Bio 1

 

 

H2O stabilizes temps.

 

III.             Water contributes to Earth’s habitability by moderating temperatures

A.     Heat and Temperature.

Kinetic energy= the energy of motion.

Heat= Total kinetic energy due to molecular motion in a body of matter.

Calorie(cal)=Amount of heat it takes to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius.

Kilocalorie(kcal or Cal)=Amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius(1000 cal).

Temperature=Measure of heat intensity due to the average kinetic energy of molecules in a body of matter.

 

Joule= energy unit

1J=0.239cal

1cal=4.184J

 

*Know conversions

 

Celsius Scale at Sea Level

Scale Conversion

 

    100˚C (212˚F)= water boils

37˚  C (98.6˚F)= human body temperature

    23˚ C (72˚F) = room temperature

0˚C (32˚F)= water freezes

 

˚C = 5(˚F-32)

          9

˚F=  9˚C  +32

 5

       ˚K=˚C+273

 

B.     Water’s High Specific Heat

Water has a high specific heat, which means that it resists temperature changes when it absorbs or releases heat.

 

Specific heat= Amount of heat that must be absorbed or lost for one gram of a substance to change its temperature by one degree Celsius.

 

Specific heat of water= One calorie per gram per degree Celsius (1 cal/g/˚C). (constant)

 

Ñ   As a result of hydrogen bonding among water molecules, it takes a relatively large heat loss or gain for each 1°C change in temperature.

Ñ   Hydrogen bonds must absorb heat to break, and they release heat when they form.

Ñ   Much absorbed heat energy is used to disrupt hydrogen bonds before water molecules can move faster(increase temperature)

 

A large body of water can act as a heat sink- absorbing heat from sunlight during the day and summer and releasing heat during the night and winter as the water gradually cools.

As a result:

Ñ   Water, which covers three-fourths of the planet, keeps temperature fluctuations within a range suitable for life.

Ñ   Coastal areas have milder climates than inland.(Florida)

Ñ   The marine environment has a relatively stable temperature.

 

 

Why does H2O not flame?

 

C.    Evaporative cooling

 

Vaporization-(evaporation)= Transformation of a liquid to a gas.

Ñ   Molecules with enough kinetic energy to overcome the mutual attraction of molecules in a liquid, can escape into the air.

 

Heat of vaporation- Quantity of heat a liquid must absorb for 1 g to be

 converted to the gaseous state.

Ñ   For water molecules to evaporate, hydrogen bonds must be broken which requires heat energy.

Ñ   Water has a relatively high heat of vaporization at the boiling point(540 cal/g or 2260 J/g; Joule=0.239 cal).

 

Evaporative cooling- Cooling of a liquid’s surface when a liquid evaporates.

Ñ   The surface molecules with the highest kinetic energy are most likely to escape into gaseous form; the average kinetic energy of the remaining surface molecules is thus lower.

 

Ñ   Sweating does not make you cool…..the sweat evaporating does!

 

Ñ   Which evaporates first?…..Water on skin or alcohol on skin?

 

 

Water’s high heat of vaporization:

 

1.Moderates the earth’s climate.

Ñ   Solar heat absorbed by tropical seas dissipates when surface water evaporates (evaporative cooling).

Ñ   As moist tropical air moves poleward, water vapor releases heat as it condenses into rain.

2.Stabilizes temperature in aquatic ecosystems (evaporative cooling).

 

3.Helps organisms from overheating by evaporative cooling.

 

 

I.                  Oceans and lakes don’t freeze solid because ice floats

 

Because of hydrogen bonding, water is less dense as a solid than it is  as a liquid. Consequently, ice floats.

 

Ñ   Water is densest at 4°C.

Ñ   Water contrasts as it cools to 4°C.

Ñ   As water cools from 4°C to freezing(0°C), it expands and becomes less dense than liquid water(ice floats)

Ñ   When water begins to freeze, the molecules do not have enough kinetic energy to break hydrogen bonds.

Ñ   As the crystalline lattice forms, each water molecule forms a maximum of 4 hydrogen bonds, which keeps water molecules farther apart than they would be in the liquid state.

 

Expansion of water contributes to the fitness of the environment for life:

iPrevents deep bodies of water from freezing solid from the bottom.

iSince ice is less dense, it forms on the surface first. As water

    freezes it releases heat to the water below and insulates it.

iMakes the transitions between seasons less abrupt.  As water

freezes, hydrogen bonds form releasing heat.  As ice melts,  

hydrogen bonds break absorbing heat.

 

 

 

 

 

II.               Water is the solvent of Life

 

Solution-A liquid that is a homogeneous mixture of two or more            

    substances.

Solvent-Dissolving agent of a solution.

Solute-Substance dissolved in a solution.

Aqueous solution- Solution in which water is the solvent.

 

 

Water is a versatile solvent owing to the polarity of the water molecule.

 

1.Ionic compounds dissolve in water.

Ñ   Charged regions of polar water molecules have an electrical attraction to charged ions.

Ñ   Water surrounds individual ions, separating and

Hydrophilic                shielding them from one another.

 

2.     Polar compounds in general, are water soluble.

·        Charged regions of polar water molecules have an affinity for oppositely charged regions of other polar moledules.

 

Hydrophobic

3.      Nonpolar compounds (which have symmetric distribution in charge)  are NOT water –soluble.

 

A.   Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Substances

 

Ionic and polar substances are hydrophilic, but nonpolar compounds are hydrophobic.

 

Hydrophilic=(Hydro=water;philo=loving) Property of having an affinity      

                                                               for water.

                  iSome large hydrophilic molecules can absorb water without   

                       dissolving.

Hydrophobic=(Hydro=water; phobos=fearing) Property of not having an    

affinity for water, and thus not being water-soluble.

 

B.    Solute Concentration in Aqueous Solutions

 

Most biochemical reactions involve solutes dissolved in water.  There are two important quantitative properties of aqueous solutions:

·        solute concentration

·        pH.

 

Molecular weight-Sum of the weight of all atoms in a     

                             molecule(expressed in daltons)

 

Mole- Amount of a substance that has a mass in grams numerically   

          equivalent to its molecular weight in daltons.

              For example, to determine a mole of sucrose(C12H22O11):

                                  iCalculate molecular weight:

                                  C=12 dal     12dal * 12=144 dal

                                  H=  1 dal      1 dal   *22= 22 dal

                                  O=16 dal    16 dal *11= 176 dal

                                                                           342 dal

                                  i Express it in grams(342 g).

 

Molarity-Number of moles of solute per liter of solution.

 

iFor example, to make a 1M sucrose solution, weigh out 342g of

   sucrose and add water up to 1 L.

 

Advantage of measuring in moles:

iRescales weighing of single molecules in daltons to grams, which is

    more practical for laboratory use.

     iA mole of one substance has the same number of molecules as a

    mole of any other substance(6.02*10>23; Avogadro’s

    number)…..constant- the amount of molecules in a mole.

     iAllows one to combine substances in fixed ratios of molecules.

 

III.           Organisms are sensitive to changes in pH

 

A.   Dissociation of Water Molecules

 

Occasionally, the hydrogen atom that is shared in a hydrogen bond between two water molecules, shifts from the oxygen atom to which it is covalently bonded to the unshared orbitals of the oxygen atom to which it is  hydrogen bonded.

          iOnly a hydrogen ion(proton with a +1 charge) is actually

    transferred.

          iTransferred proton binds to an unshared orbital of the second         

              water molecule creating a hydronium ion(H3O+).

          iWater molecule that lost a proton has a net negative charge

               and is called a hydroxide ion(OH-).

                             H2O+H20àH3O(+)+OH(-)

          iBy convention, ionization of H20 is expressed as the

              dissociation into H+ and OH-.

                             H2OàH(+)+OH(-)

          iReaction is reversible.

          iAt equilibrium, most of the H20 is not ionized.

 

B.   Acids and Bases

 

At equilibrium in pure water 25iC:

      iNumber of H+ ions= number of OH- ions.

      i[H+] = [OH+] =     1           M=10(-7) M          

                                            10,000,000

                iNote that brackets indicate  molar concentratoin.

 

NOTE: This is a good place to point out how few water molecules are actually  dissociated (only 1 out of 554,000,000 molecules.)

 

Acid
Base

Substance that increases the relative [H+] of a solution.

 

Also removes OH+ because it tends to combine with H+ to form H2O.

 

For example: (in water)

        HCl  à H(+)  + Cl(-)

Substance that reduces the relative [H+} of a solution.

 

May alternately increase [OH].

 

For example:

A base may reduce [H+] directly:

    NH3 + H[+] à NH4(+)

A base may reduce [H+] indirectly:

NaOHà Na(+) + OH(-)

OH(-) + H[+] à H2O

 

A solution which:

    i[H+] = [OH-] is a neutral solution.

    i[H+] > [OH-] is an acidic solution.

    i[H+] < [OH-] is a basic solution.

 

   Strong acids and bases dissociate completely in water.

    iFor example, HCl and NaOH.

    iSingle arrows indicate complete dissociation.

             NaOH à Na(+) + OH(-)

 

Weak acids and bases dissociate only partially and reversibly.

   iFor example, NH3 (ammonia) and H2Co3 (carbonic acid)

   iDouble arrows indicate a reversible reaction; at equilibrium there

            will be a fixed ratio of reactants and products.

                         

           H2CO3      ®        Hco3(-)        +          H(+)

                       

           Carbonic acid        Biocarbinate ion       Hydrogen ion

 

C.   The pH scale

 

In any aqueous solution:

i[H+] [OH-]=1.0 x 10(-14)

 

For example:

     i In a neutral solution, [H+] = 10(-7)M and  [OH-]=10(-7) M.

     iIn an acidic solution where the [H+] = 10(-5)M, the [OH-]=

         10(-9) M.

     iIn a basic solution where the [H+]=10(-9) M, the  [OH-]=       

         10(-5) M.

 

pH scale = Scale used to measure degree of acidity. It ranges from 0 to 14.

 

pH= Negative log(10) of the [H+] expressed in moles per liter.

     ipH of 7 is a neutral solution.

     ipH <7 is an acidic soution

     ipH >7 is basic solution

iMost biological fluids are within the pH range of 6 to 8.  There are some expceptions such as stomach acid with pH = 1.5.

iEach pH unit represents a tenfold difference (scale is logarithmic), so a slight change in actual[H+].

 

Example:  How much greater is the [H+] in a solution with pH

       2 than in a solution with pH 6?

 

Ans:  pH 2= [H+] of 1.0 x 10(>-2)=   1           M

                                                100    

                                      pH 6= [H+] of 1.0 x 10(>-6)=    1           M

                                                100

10,000 times greater [molar concentration]

 

 

D.   Buffers

 

By minimizing wide fluctuations in pH, buffers help organisms maintain the pH of body fluids within the narrow range necessary for life.          (usually pH 6-8).     (7.4) for human blood.

 

Buffer- Substance that prevents large sudden changes in pH.

Ñ   Are combinations of H+ donor and H+ acceptor forms of weak acids or bases.

Ñ   Work by accepting H+ ions from solution when they are in excess, and by donating H+ ions to the solution when they have been depleted.

Ñ   Most buffers work in acid/base pairs

 

 

IV.            Acid precipitation threatens the fitness of the environment

 

Acid precipitation- Rain, snow or fog more strongly acidic than

 pH 5.6.

Ñ   Has been recorded as low as pH 1.5 in West Virginia

Ñ   Occurs when sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides in the

          atmosphere react with water in the air to form acids

          which fall to Earth in precipitation.

Ñ   Major oxide source is the combustion of fossil fuels by industry and cars.

 

Acid Rain affects the fitness of the environment to support life.

 

Ñ   Lowers soil pH which affects mineral solubility.  May leach out necessary mineral nutrients and increase the concentration of minerals that are potentially toxic to vegetation in higher concentration(e.g. aluminum).  This is contributing to the decline of some European and North America Forests.

Ñ   Lowers the pH of lakes and ponds, and runoff carries leached out soil minerals into aquatic ecosystems.  This adversely affects aquatic life.  For example: In the Western Adirondack Mountains, there are lakes with a pH <5 that have no fish.

What can be done to reduce the problem?

Ñ   Add industrial pollution controls.

Ñ   Develop and use antipollution devices

Ñ   Increase involvement of voters, customers, politicians and business leaders.