Water

Okay, there's not really a whole lot of information to put on this page, but water is a very important molecule in our bodies! So pay attention!

• Water is an inorganic compound. Inorganic compounds generally lack carbon, are structurally simple, and are held together by either ionic or covalent bonds.
• Water is the most abundant inorganic compound in all living systems...it makes up   55-60% of the body mass of a lean adult.

Properties of Water

• It is an excellent solvent; meaning you can dissolve other things into it.
• It participates in chemical reactions.(i.e. hydrolysis)

              Hydrolysis-the breakdown of larger molecules via the addition of water molecules.

              Water is has a pH of 7 (neutral).

              Water has POLAR covalent bonds.

• It is less dense as a solid than it is as a liquid.
• It absorbs and releases heat very slowly.

               This is the reason our bodies can do evaporative cooling (sweating) and shivering.

• It is a good lubricant. (i.e. tears, mucus, saliva, synovial fluid)