Water is a polar molecule that forms hydrogen bonds between its molecules, giving water unique properties. It freezes at 0° Celsius and boils at 100° Celsius. Water also has a high specific heat capacity, which means it requires a lot of energy to change its temperature. This allows water to moderate temperatures and transport heat around living things. Water can also dissolve some materials like limestone through the formation of carbonic acid when water interacts with carbon dioxide in the air, allowing it to slowly erode rocks and form cave systems over long periods.

1. Foundation Science
Today’s Lesson: Properties of Water

2. Water is a Polar Molecule
Water molecules are polar.
Polar = has a positive side
and a negative side.
The negative part of a
water molecule is
attracted to the positive
part of another.

3. Water Forms Hydrogen Bonds
The bonds formed between
water molecules are called
hydrogen bonds.
Hydrogen bonds between
molecules of water is what
causes water’s surface tension

4. Water’s Boiling and Freezing Points
Water is considered to be so important that the scale we
use to measure temperature was set according to water!
Water boils at 100° Celsius
Water freezes at 0° Celsius
Frozen water (ice) is less dense than liquid water, which
is why ice floats.
Water is most dense (heaviest) at 4° Celsius.

5. The Science of Cooking with Water
What gets hotter, steam or boiling water?
The answer is steam. Boiling water can only reach 100° Celsius.
Steam has passed into a vapor and can be heated higher than
100° Celsius.
Steaming vegetables can be healthier and more delicious because
it doesn’t rinse away all the vitamins, and FASTER too because the
steam can be hotter than 100° Celsius.

6. The Science of Cooking with Water
Can we make water boil hotter than 100° Celsius?
YES! Pressure increases the boiling point. Water will
boil at a lower temperature up at the top of a
mountain (=less pressure from atmosphere) than at
the bottom of the mountain.
So, why do you think people use a pressure cooker?
It is so they can cook things in water that is hotter
than 100° Celsius, because the lid on the pressure
cooker creates pressure inside the pot.

7. Boiling Water and Space
How much pressure is there in space?
Space has very little, to no pressure.
So what is a space suit really for?
A human body is about 70% water. With no pressure, all the
water in a human would boil and turn to steam! NASA says that
a person could live about 1 minute in space without a suit.
Note: (don’t need to write in notes) a man accidentally exposed
to a vacuum at NASA lost consciousness after about 14 seconds
due to lack of oxygen. He said his last memory was “the water
beginning to boil on his tongue”. You will NOT explode without
a spacesuit in space says NASA.

8. More about Boiling Water
How do you know when water is at 100° Celsius
when cooking?
When the first bubble of air floats all the way to
the top of the water.
Do you need to make water boil like crazy for it
to be 100° Celsius?
No! Just enough for the first bubbles to be rise
to the top. After that, it only needs a little heat
to stay at 100° Celsius.
What are the bubbles in boiling water made of?
Steam (=water vapor)

9. Capillary Action
Capillary action occurs when water goes up
against the forces of gravity.
Gravity
Without hydrogen bonds, capillary action
could not occur.
Capillary
Action
Capillary action is how plants and trees
transport water from the roots to leaves
where photosynthesis occurs.

10. How Does Capillary Action Occur?
1) Adhesion is the attraction between water
and other objects.
Example of Water Adhesion
Adhesion allows water to stick to the sides
of the tube (can be a straw or inside a
plant).
2) Cohesion is water being attracted to itself
due to its hydrogen bonds
Adhesion and cohesion lead to water’s capillary action

11. Water has a Very High Specific Heat Capacity
Specific heat is how much energy is required to heat a substance.
Water needs a LOT of energy to be heated, so WATER HAS A VERY
HIGH SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY.
To heat things you need to make the molecules move faster.
It is hard to make water
molecules move fast
because its hydrogen bonds
keep the molecules stuck
together.

12. Is Water an Acid???
Pure water is not an acid (not acidic).
BUT, when water is exposed to air, it comes in contact with carbon
dioxide (CO2) and forms a weak acid called carbonic acid:
CO2 + H2O H2CO3
Carbonic acid can dissolve rock and things like cement.
Water can
turn slightly
acidic, and
over
time, make
holes in rock

13. Is Water an Acid???
Over time, water is responsible for carving out large cave systems
like Carslbad Caverns. Water is also what made the stalagmites
and stalactites. So, YES, water can be an acid.
Water has Carlsbad Caverns
the power to
dissolve
limestone

14. QUESTIONS (2 Points Each)
1. Tell me 3 things water could NOT do if it was not a polar molecule.
2. Draw a diagram of a hydrogen bond. Label the oxygen and
hydrogen atoms and the hydrogen bond.
3. If you wanted to make a 5 liter bottle of water as heavy as possible,
what temperature would you bring the water to?
4. Where will water boil hotter, Bangkok or Chiang Mai?
5. True or False: A pressure cooker can cook faster because the water
inside is able to get hotter than 100° Celsius.
6. Tell me how you know when water is 100° Celsius when cooking.
7. What would happen to a human in space without a spacesuit?
8. Draw a diagram of capillary action in a plant.
9. What is adhesion?
10. What is cohesion?
11. Tell me one reason why water’s high specific heat may be
important for a human body.
12. You are walking on the street and see some holes in the sidewalk.
Explain to me how water may have caused these holes.
13. Why will it save energy to steam vegetables instead of boiling
them?