Group No.

4 Date Viewed: September 20, 2020

Members: Date Submitted:
1. Hotic, Carlie
2. Gascon Allyssa Marie L.
3. Gregorio, Dana Marie D.
4. Ledesma, Marian
5. Marcera, Bea S.

Virtual Laboratory Experiment No. 1

Water and Its Properties

Introduction/Theory
Provide a brief introduction or theoretical background (at least one paragraph)
about the laboratory experiment.

Water is the most abundant compound on Earth’s surface. In nature, water exists in
the liquid, solid, and gaseous states. All organisms are composed primarily of water, no
organism, not even the prokaryotes, can develop and grow without water. Being polar,
water has unique properties and these include its role as a solvent, as a chemical reactant,
and as a factor to maintain a fairly constant temperature. The main properties of water are
its polarity, cohesion, adhesion, surface tension, high specific heat, and evaporative cooling.
Polar species are soluble in water, while nonpolar species are soluble in oils and fats. The
solubility of a substance is the maximum amount of a solute that can dissolve in a given
quantity of solvent; it depends on the chemical nature of both the solute and the solvent
and on the temperature and pressure. It is with no doubt that all living organisms require
water for survival. For example, all oxygen-dependent organisms need water to aid in the
respiration process. The way that it is utilized can be categorized in four different ways: as a
solvent, as a temperature buffer, as a metabolite and as a living environment.

I. Objectives:
1. To determine the properties of water that makes it a suitable medium for
sustaining life in the biological system.
2. To describe the solubility of substances in polar and nonpolar solvents.
3. To enumerate the functions of water in the living system.
II. Materials:
Based on the video link, watch and analyze a laboratory experiment. List down all
materials involved in the experiment. Provide the characteristics, potential hazards and
proper disposal of the reagents used in the experiment.
This information may be obtained from Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), a
document that contains information on the potential hazards (health, fire, reactivity and
environmental) and how to work safely with the chemical product.

REAGENTS:

REAGENTS CHARACTERISTICS HAZARDS DISPOSAL

Tap Water Water coming from None Poured down the sink
the tap

Deionized Water Water that has Possible skin Poured down the sink
removed almost all irritation
minerals

Coconut Oil Oil extracted from None Poured down the sink
coconut meat

Dish Soap A high-foaming Eye and skin Poured down the sink
detergent used as irritation
cleaning product for
dishes

Sugar Disaccharide Eye, skin, Poured down the sink

composed of glucose respiratory and
and fructose digestive irritation

Sodium Chloride Compound of sodium Eye, skin and Poured down the sink
and chloride. digestive tract
Commonly known as irritation
salt.

Ethanol Colorless liquid with Respiratory, Stored in laboratory

extremely flammable severe eye waste containers and
liquid and vapor irritation taken to disposal
Has detrimental centers
effects on
gastrointestinal,
reproductive, fetal
and central
nervous system

Iodine Black-violet solid that Burns eyes, skin Stored in laboratory

sublime easily to heat, and digestive waste containers and
releasing a purple tract taken to disposal
vapour. Can cause centers
pulmonary edema
and affects
 thyroid glands

Cyclohexane Colorless liquid with Eye, skin and Stored in laboratory

extremely flammable respiratory tract waste containers and
liquid and vapor irritation taken to disposal
Can cause centers
pneumonitis and
central nervous
system depression
EQUIPMENT: ● Paper towel
● Chromatography paper ● Pepper flakes
● Beaker ● Wax paper
● Graduated cylinder ● Glass stirring rod
● Water-based marker ● Test tube
● Penny ● Test tube rack
● Dropper or pipette ● Scoopula

III. Procedure:
Briefly outline the procedure in the conduct of the laboratory experiments.
A. Properties of Water
B. Solubility of Substances in Polar and Non-Polar Solvents

IV. Virtual Laboratory Experiment

Video No. 1: Properties of Water

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOQ_jN1jlwI

Video No. 2: Properties of Liquids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_jQ1B9UwpU

Video No. 3: Solubility of Substances in Polar and Non-Polar Solvents

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY805CmtCQo

V. Answers to Questions.

1. What properties of water and other liquids are exhibited in the first two video
experiments? Describe each.

2. Describe solubility in both solvents as soluble, slightly soluble and insoluble.

Substances Solubility in Water Solubility in Cyclohexane

 3. Based on your observations, which solvent dissolves more substance? Explain.
4. Enumerate the different functions of water in living system.
5. Explain why water is a good solvent.

VI. Conclusion
The conclusion must be congruent with the objectives of the experiment.

· Nothing can survive in this planet without water, it composes 70% of the
surface and 60% of our bodies are composed of nothing but water. In conclusion
water’s abundance is only one reason life depends on it so much because water is
has a lot of amazing properties that make it an ideal substrate for life. The four
emergent properties water that contribute’s to Earth’s suitability for life is first,
hydrogen bonding keeps the water molecules close to each other, and this cohesion
helps pull water upward in the microscopic water –conducting cells of plants.
Hydrogen bonding is also responsible for water’s surface tension. Water has a high
specific heat: Heat is absorbed when hydrogen bonds break and is released when
hydrogen bonds form. This helps keep temperatures relatively steady, within limits
that permit life. Evaporation cooling is based on water’s high heat of vaporization.
The evaporative loss of the most energetic water molecules cools a surface. Ice
floats because it less dense than liquid water. This allows life to exist under the
frozen surfaces of lakes and polar seas. Water is also unusually versatile solvent
because its polar molecules are attracted to charged and polar substances capable of
forming hydrogen bonds. These emergent properties of water support life on Earth
and may contribute to the potential for life to have evolved on other planets.
· Polar substances tend to dissolve in polar solvents and nonpolar substances
dissolve in non-polar solvents. When a solute dissolves in a solvent the individual
particles of the solute separate from their neighbors and move between the spaces
of the solvent particles. The solvent particles collide with the solute particles and the
intermolecular forces of attraction between solute and solvent particles “hold” the
solute particles in the spaces.
· Overall, the main functions of water in living systems are as follows; as an
effective biological solvent, a reactant molecule in many biological reactions, a
temperature regulator and a pH buffering agent. Water without any doubt, must be
considered an integral part of biological macromolecules. The living world should be
thought of as an equal partnership between proteins, nucleic acids and water.
Take note of the following:
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