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Water Powerpoint

Water is essential for life. It makes up 70% of mammalian cells, with 2/3 inside cells and 1/3 outside. Water is the solvent for biological systems and allows both polar and ionic compounds to dissolve, while hydrophobic compounds do not interact with water. The structure and properties of water allow for hydrogen bonding, which plays a key role in molecular interactions.

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Marie St. Louis
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143 views16 pages

Water Powerpoint

Water is essential for life. It makes up 70% of mammalian cells, with 2/3 inside cells and 1/3 outside. Water is the solvent for biological systems and allows both polar and ionic compounds to dissolve, while hydrophobic compounds do not interact with water. The structure and properties of water allow for hydrogen bonding, which plays a key role in molecular interactions.

Uploaded by

Marie St. Louis
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Water

• Mammalian cells are 70% water


• 2/3 of our water is inside our cells, 1/3 is outside our
cells
• Why is water important?

• Water is the solvent for biological systems


• Hydrophilic compounds interact (dissolve) with water
– Polar compounds
– Ionic compounds
• Hydrophobic compounds do not interact with water
– Non polar compounds
Polar vs. Nonpolar
• Polar – Unequal sharing of electrons
• Electronegativity – tendency to attract electrons

Element Electronegativity
Oxygen 3.5
Nitrogen 3.0
Sulfur 2.6
Carbon 2.5
Phosphorus 2.2
Hydrogen 2.1
Water and Methane
Water is Polar because:
• Difference in
electronegativity
between O-H
• Bent structure –
non-linear
Methane is Nonpolar
because:
• Little difference in
electronegativity
between C-H
• Tetrahedral bond angles
Carbon Dioxide
Polar bonds but non-polar compound because:
• Linear Structure – Equal and opposite attractions
Hydrophilic Compounds
• Ionic compounds readily dissolve in water because of the ionic –
dipole interactions
• Non-ionic polar compounds dissolve in water because of the
dipole–dipole interactions
Hydrophobic Interactions
• A non-polar substance does not readily dissolve in water
• The H-bond network of water reorganizes to accommodate the non-polar
solute.
• As a result, the non-polar substances tend to aggregate.
• A non-polar solute "organizes" water
• This is an increase in "order" of water
• This is a decrease in ENTROPY
Amphipathic Molecules
• Molecules that contain both polar and non-polar
groups
Hydrogen Bonds
Hydrogen bonding is one of the most important interactions in biological
molecules
• Hydrogen bonding is an interaction between a covalently bonded
hydrogen atom in a donor group and a pair of non-covalent
electrons on an acceptor group
• The ability of a group to act as a hydrogen bond donor depends on
its electronegativity
Strong and Weak H-Bonds
• The strongest hydrogen bonds have the donor
atom and the acceptor atom 180o apart
• Non-linear hydrogen bonds are weaker
Biological Relevant Hydrogen Bonds
Importance of Hydrogen Bond
Non – covalent Bonds or Forces
Non-covalent bonds determine the complexity of molecular
interactions within and between biomolecules
• Non-covalent bonds are 10 –100 times weaker than
covalent bonds
• Single interactions are typically not sufficient to hold two
species together
• The 3-D structures of most macromolecules are
determined as a result of the collective influence of the
many weak individual interactions
• Non-covalent bonds are reversible
• Non-covalent interactions are specific
• Size, shape and type of interaction all must be correct for
binding
Strength of Non-covalent bonds - Ice
Amphiprotic Compounds
• Amphiprotic substance can act either as an acid or a
base.

•The ionizable species of water are in equilibrium .


Water, Ionization and pH
• Kw is the ionization constant of water

- +
H2 O OH + H
+ - + -
[ H ] [ OH ] [ H ] [ OH ]
Ka = =
[ H 2 O] 55.5

Kw = Ka x 5 5 . 5 = [ H + ] [ OH - ]

Kw = 10 -14

• [H+] and [OH-] are inversely proportionally, as [H+] ↑, [OH-] ↓


• pH = -log10 [H+]
• If [H+] = 1 x 10 -7 M
• Then pH = 7

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