What property of water allows many biochemical reactions to occur in a liquid medium?
Water is a solvent.
Polar water molecules dissolve ions and polar molecules, enabling metabolic reactions in solution.
Which type of reaction joins two biological molecules together with the removal of a water molecule?
Condensation reaction
Forms bonds between monomers when polymers such as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids are built.
What reaction breaks a chemical bond in a biological molecule using a molecule of water?
Hydrolysis reaction
Common in digestion and when polymers are broken into monomers.
True or False:
Water directly participates as a reactant in many metabolic reactions inside cells.
True
Water acts as a metabolite in reactions such as hydrolysis and condensation.
Water resists rapid temperature change in cells and organisms. Which property of water is responsible for this buffering effect?
High specific heat capacity
A large amount of energy is required to change the temperature of water.
True or False:
Water has a low specific heat capacity, allowing cells to heat and cool very rapidly.
False
Its relatively high specific heat capacity stabilises temperature in cells and aquatic environments.
A large amount of energy is required to convert water from liquid to vapour. What property of water does this describe?
Latent heat of vaporisation
This allows evaporation (e.g., sweating or transpiration) to remove heat efficiently.
Fill in the blank:
Evaporation of water from a surface removes heat because water has a large _______ heat of vaporisation.
latent
High energy is needed to break hydrogen bonds between water molecules.
Attraction between water molecules allows continuous columns of water to move through plant transport tissues. What property causes this attraction?
Cohesion
Hydrogen bonding between water molecules produces strong intermolecular attraction.
What property of water creates a tight surface layer where water meets air?
Surface tension
Produced by cohesive forces between water molecules at the surface.
True or False:
Cohesion between water molecules helps maintain continuous columns of water in the xylem of plants.
True
Important for maintaining the transpiration stream.
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3.1.1 Monomers & Polymers9
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3.1.2 Carbohydrates22
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3.1.3 Lipids17
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3.1.4 Proteins39
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3.1.5 Nucleic Acids32
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3.1.6 ATP11
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3.1.7 Water11
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3.1.8 Inorganic ions8
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3.2.1 Cell structure52
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3.2.2 Cell division20
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3.2.3 Transport across cell membranes20
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3.2.4 Cell recognition & the immune system36
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3.3.1 Surface area to volume ratio13
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3.3.2 Gas exchange24
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3.3.3 Digestion & absorption16
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3.3.4 Mass transport39
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3.4.1 DNA, genes & chromosomes13
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3.4.2 DNA & protein synthesis14
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3.4.3 Genetic diversity & meiosis14
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3.4.4 Genetic diversity & adaptation20
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3.4.5 Species & taxonomy20
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3.4.6 Biodiversity within a community12
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3.4.7 Investigating diversity12
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3.5.1 Photosynthesis23
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3.5.2 Respiration17
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3.5.3 Energy & ecosystems20
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3.5.4 Nutrient cycles15
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3.6.1 Stimuli & Response62
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3.6.2 Nervous coordination53
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3.6.3 Skeletal muscles14
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3.6.4 Homeostasis57
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3.7.1 Inheritance12
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3.7.2 Populations15
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3.7.3 Evolution may lead to speciation22
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3.7.4 Populations in ecosystems24
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3.8.1 Gene Mutations and Protein Structure14
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3.8.2 Control of Gene Expression44
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3.8.3 Applications of Genome Projects10
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3.8.4 Gene Technologies and Their Applications46
