Water has many properties that are critical to maintaining life. It is polar, allowing for the formation of hydrogen bonds, which allow ions and other polar molecules to dissolve in water. Therefore, water is an excellent solvent. The hydrogen bonds between water molecules give water the ability to hold heat better than many other substances. As the temperature rises, the hydrogen bonds between water continually break and reform, allowing for the overall temperature to remain stable, although increased energy is added to the system. Water’s cohesive forces allow for the property of surface tension. All of these unique properties of water are important in the chemistry of living organisms.       The pH of a solution is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution. A solution with a high number of hydrogen ions is acidic and has a low pH value. A solution with a high number of hydroxide ions is basic and has a high pH value. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with a pH of 7 being neutral. Buffers are solutions that moderate pH changes when an acid or base is added to the buffer system. Buffers are important in biological systems because of their ability to maintain constant pH conditions.            

All images referenced in this podcast can be found at https://openstax.org/books/concepts-biology/pages/2-2-water            

Welcome to Principles of Biology, this podcast will attempt to explain how life works.       

The content contained in this podcast was produced by OpenStax and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.     

Access for free at https://openstax.org/details/books/concepts-biology Podcast produced by Miranda Casturo as a Creative Common Sense production.       

No part of this podcast is made with generative AI         

Voice narration provided by computerized text-to-speech through voicemaker.in       

For those who prefer ad free listening other options of support are available at https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/principles-of-biology--5666059/support