NOTES ABOUT WATER:
Water Definition
Water is an inorganic liquid chemical that is colorless, odorless,
tasteless that makes up most of the Earth’s hydrosphere and the fluids
in the body of all living beings.
Water is an extremely important component for the existence of life
as it is vital for all biological processes. It doesn’t, however, have
any calorific value or nutritional value.
Water is in a liquid state at standard atmospheric temperature and
pressure.
It occupies 71% of the total land on Earth and about 70% of total
body weight in humans.
The amount of water on Earth is maintained by a continuous
movement of water from the ground to the atmosphere and back,
called the water cycle.
Water is also important for various chemical processes as it is a
universal solvent.
, Structure of Water
The chemical formula for water is H2O which indicates that a single
molecule of water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one
oxygen atom.
The atoms in a water molecule are connected to each other by
polar covalent bonds. The molecule in itself is electrically neutral
but polar with negative and positive charges localized in different
areas.
In the gaseous phase
In a water molecule, the s and p orbitals of the valence shell are
sp3 hybridized to form four sp3 hybrid orbitals oriented tetrahedrally
around the oxygen atom.
The two of the hybrid orbitals are singly occupied, while the lone
pairs of the electrons occupy the other two.
Each single occupied sp3 orbital overlaps with the half-filled orbital
of the H atom.
As a result, an oxygen atom is bonded to the two hydrogen atoms
by two O-H covalent bonds, and there are two lone pairs of
electrons on the oxygen atom.
The most stable arrangement of the atoms is the one where they
are the farthest. The angle between the O-H bonds is around 104°
rather than a perfect tetrahedron (109°) due to the repulsion
between the lone pairs.
Thus, the structure of the water molecule is an angular of bent
structure.
The molecule of water is polar because oxygen is more
electronegative than hydrogen. The oxygen atom thus attracts the
shared electrons towards itself.
As a result, a partial negative charge is developed on the oxygen
atom while the hydrogen atom develops a partial positive charge.
Water Definition
Water is an inorganic liquid chemical that is colorless, odorless,
tasteless that makes up most of the Earth’s hydrosphere and the fluids
in the body of all living beings.
Water is an extremely important component for the existence of life
as it is vital for all biological processes. It doesn’t, however, have
any calorific value or nutritional value.
Water is in a liquid state at standard atmospheric temperature and
pressure.
It occupies 71% of the total land on Earth and about 70% of total
body weight in humans.
The amount of water on Earth is maintained by a continuous
movement of water from the ground to the atmosphere and back,
called the water cycle.
Water is also important for various chemical processes as it is a
universal solvent.
, Structure of Water
The chemical formula for water is H2O which indicates that a single
molecule of water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one
oxygen atom.
The atoms in a water molecule are connected to each other by
polar covalent bonds. The molecule in itself is electrically neutral
but polar with negative and positive charges localized in different
areas.
In the gaseous phase
In a water molecule, the s and p orbitals of the valence shell are
sp3 hybridized to form four sp3 hybrid orbitals oriented tetrahedrally
around the oxygen atom.
The two of the hybrid orbitals are singly occupied, while the lone
pairs of the electrons occupy the other two.
Each single occupied sp3 orbital overlaps with the half-filled orbital
of the H atom.
As a result, an oxygen atom is bonded to the two hydrogen atoms
by two O-H covalent bonds, and there are two lone pairs of
electrons on the oxygen atom.
The most stable arrangement of the atoms is the one where they
are the farthest. The angle between the O-H bonds is around 104°
rather than a perfect tetrahedron (109°) due to the repulsion
between the lone pairs.
Thus, the structure of the water molecule is an angular of bent
structure.
The molecule of water is polar because oxygen is more
electronegative than hydrogen. The oxygen atom thus attracts the
shared electrons towards itself.
As a result, a partial negative charge is developed on the oxygen
atom while the hydrogen atom develops a partial positive charge.