Properties of water

We can study our world from a scientific perspective by using our senses. Observe the world around you. Watch the rain fall, the morning fog evaporate, the rivers, waterfalls, and oceans, to see how water transforms, pools and travels in the landscape. Chinese medicine sees our body as a microcosm of the macrocosm. This means that we can learn about how our body works by witnessing the environment. We are nature, and our physiology abides by natural principles. The water inside of us, in our cells, our tissues, behaves the same as it does in the landscapes we can observe.

Water is easy to take for granted when it is plentiful, but it is so essential that we may want to grow our appreciation of its role in our lives. It is common knowledge that our planet and bodies are composed mostly of water, with estimates ranging from 70%-99%. Most of the water in our bodies is inside of our cells. These individual cells are each alive and cooperate to form tissues, which make up organs, and these in turn make up our body systems. Water, together with the sun, the planet, and the atmosphere, makes life on earth possible.

Since water is such a fundamental part of our lives, it is fascinating to contemplate the unique chemical properties that give water so many special functions in our world and in our bodies. Water is a really amazing molecule. Molecules are made of atoms. Atoms, like legos, are building blocks of life. Most atoms are naturally occurring. They combine to form molecules that make up the materials of our bodies and all of the materials in our lives. Molecules are held together by attractive forces and by sharing electrons. Water is a molecule made of two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom (H2O).

1) Polarity:

The water molecule is what is called a polar molecule, it is formed through an unequal sharing of electrons. This causes each hydrogen to have a slightly positive charge. Essentially, the oxygen hogs the electron, so the hydrogen will readily combine with an additional molecule. Because of this, individual water molecules readily connect with each other, through what we call hydrogen bonds. This makes water so fluid and yet so firm at the surface. Surface tension is what allows things to float.

2) Cohesion & Adhesion:

Cohesion is what happens when water molecules stick to each other, as seen by the tendency of water to form drops. Adhesion is when water sticks to something else, as seen in the curve we see on the inside of a glass. This is because these hydrogen bonds make water highly attracted to itself.

Both cohesion and adhesion are important in many biological processes. One example is when plants draw water up from the ground through their vascular system, they depend on the water sticking to the walls and sticking to itself to form a column. This is how water travels up from the roots to the leaves, as if sucking water through a straw.

3) Universal Solvent:

Water dissolves many other substances. This helps water be effective when we clean our hands or the dishes. It is also important inside of the body. Water is a very chemically active substance in our body, and dissolving substances is one important role. Without this property, we wouldn’t have the structural elements in our body that hold us all together.

4) High Heat Capacity:

This helps to stabilize the temperature in our body and on the planet and is an important part of homeostasis. Along the coastline, the weather is more temperate because of the ocean’s ability to stabilize the temperature. Because it is such a large body of water, it takes a long time to heat up and to cool down. The temperature of the ocean overall has large effects on our climate.

5) High Heat of Vaporization:

This is why sweating works. As the sweat evaporates from our skin, it helps draw heat out of our body. In the water cycle, rain falls down and condenses back up. The high heat required for vapor to form prevents excess drying of the soil, creating a fertile and moist planet. When it is hotter, more water is held in the air, such as in a hot and humid climate. When the air is colder, it does not hold humidity as well, and we notice the dry air if we live in a place with colder autumn and winter months.

6) Less Dense When it freezes:

This property causes ice to float on top of water. This is important in nature as it prevents many bodies of water from freezing solid and allows life to thrive under the surface.