Who discovered the water?
It was the chemist Henry Cavendish (1731 – 1810), who discovered the composition of water, when he experimented with hydrogen and oxygen and mixed these elements together to create an explosion (oxyhydrogen effect). In 1811 the Italian physician Amedeo Avogadro finally found the H2O formula for water.
Although water has a simple molecular structure, it nevertheless has unique physical properties. It is the only element that exists on our planet in a solid, liquid and gaseous aggregate state. It is these special properties that make water so fascinating and so important for all creatures. Water has 775 times the density of air. This fact causes the ‘buoyancy’ effect, which enables us - and most mammals - to swim.
Many substances expand when they are subjected to heat and reduce their density at the same time; conversely, they increase their density when cooled down. When a liquid is cooled, the colder part sinks to the bottom. The freezing process of water is the other way round. Water reaches its maximum density at 4 degrees Celsius, which is exactly 0.999973 kg/l. Ice weighs 0.91 kg/l – which is the reason why icebergs float. This also explains why frozen water bottles explode and why fish can survive in a frozen lake. They live at the bottom where the water is the heaviest, as the temperature there is approximately 4 degrees Celsius.
Water is a very bad heat conductor. This property is of utmost importance for the global climate. Water can actually store a lot of heat, which it then releases again during the cold season. In the warm season, however, it prevents excessive heating. In this way water moderates the differences in temperature.
If one cubic centimetre of water evaporates (at approx. 100 degrees Celsius), its volume expands to 1243 cubic centimetres (vapour pressure) - a process that formed the basis of the construction of the steam engine; this machine eventually gave rise to the Industrial Revolution.
The physical and chemical properties of water make it a universal solvent and means of transport, which is integrated into all cycles of nature, both micro- and macroscopic. Without water, for example, there would be no circulation of nitrogen or phosphorous - both essential elements in the biosphere - as there is no way for the corresponding ions to be transported.
Water can dissolve salts and feed these in dissolved form to plants. Plants then use these ions as nutrients and release the water they don’t need for their nitrogen metabolism into the atmosphere. This small water cycle is as important as the large one - without it, and therefore without water, there would be no life.
FAQs
water, a substance composed of the chemical elements hydrogen and oxygen and existing in gaseous, liquid, and solid states. It is one of the most plentiful and essential of compounds. A tasteless and odourless liquid at room temperature, it has the important ability to dissolve many other substances.
Who named H2O water? ›
It was the chemist Henry Cavendish (1731 – 1810), who discovered the composition of water, when he experimented with hydrogen and oxygen and mixed these elements together to create an explosion (oxyhydrogen effect). In 1811 the Italian physician Amedeo Avogadro finally found the H2O formula for water.
What is special about water? ›
Water has the unique ability to dissolve many polar and ionic substances. This is important to all living things because, as water travels through the water cycle, it takes many valuable nutrients along with it! Water has high heat capacity.
How do we know water is H2O? ›
A water molecule has three atoms: two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom. That's why water is sometimes referred to as H2O.
What are 3 important facts about water? ›
Water Facts of Life Ride the Water Cycle With These Fun Facts
- There is the same amount of water on Earth as there was when the Earth was formed. ...
- Water is composed of two elements, Hydrogen and Oxygen. ...
- Nearly 97% of the world's water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. ...
- Water regulates the Earth's temperature.
The 1992 Dublin Conference established four guiding principles for managing freshwater resources: The Dublin principles state that: (1) Water is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life, development and the environment; (2) Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach, ...
What is water 💦? ›
noun. a clear colourless tasteless odourless liquid that is essential for plant and animal life and constitutes, in impure form, rain, oceans, rivers, lakes, etc. It is a neutral substance, an effective solvent for many compounds, and is used as a standard for many physical properties.
What are the three forms of water? ›
The three forms that water can exist in are - solid, liquid and gaseous. Solid form is ice, liquid form is water, whereas gaseous form is water vapour or moisture present in the atmosphere.
Why is H2O blue? ›
In the ocean, the primary way that water interacts with light is absorption, and water absorbs different colors of the visible spectrum better than others. Water preferentially absorbs red light, and to a lesser extent, yellow and green light, so the color that is least absorbed by water is blue light.
Why is water wet? ›
Water is wet, in the sense of being a liquid which flows easily, because its viscosity is low, which is because its molecules are rather loosely joined together.
When atoms of elements collide into each other in space, they can form compounds, such as water. To make water, one atom of hydrogen and one oxygen atom combine to form a hydroxyl ion.
Why is water so powerful? ›
It consists of three atoms : two of hydrogen and one of oxygen. Water molecules cling to each other because of a force called hydrogen bonding. It's the reason why water can do amazing things. Water is a shape-shifter.
Who founded water? ›
It was the chemist Henry Cavendish (1731 – 1810), who discovered the composition of water, when he experimented with hydrogen and oxygen and mixed these elements together to create an explosion (oxyhydrogen effect).
Why is water called water? ›
Water is a chemical compound consisting of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The name water typically refers to the liquid state of the compound. The solid phase is known as ice and the gas phase is called steam.
What are 10 uses of water? ›
Uses of water in our everyday life
- For drinking purpose.
- For dish cleaning.
- For cooking purpose.
- For feeding plants.
- For clothes washing.
- To take bath.
- For hydro-electricity generation.
- For the car wash.
Water is a molecule made up of two different kinds of atoms, oxygen and hydrogen. Mostly water appears as H2O, one larger oxygen molecule sharing electrons with two smaller hydrogen atoms. The sharing of electrons by the oxygen and hydrogen atoms results in what are called covalent bonds (Becker & Wentworth, 1973).
What is the secret knowledge of water about? ›
Craig Childs - Book Details. Discovering the essence of the American desert. Publisher's Weekly: "Childs's obsessive quest to find, map, observe and get wet in the waters of America's deserts has personal roots.
What is the elementary knowledge of water? ›
Water is an odourless, tasteless and colourless liquid. Each water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom (H2O). Each hydrogen atom has only one electron that is shared with oxygen which, in turn, takes part in the bond with one electron.
What is the basic importance of water? ›
Water is vital to our health. It plays a key role in many of our body's functions, including bringing nutrients to cells, getting rid of wastes, protecting joints and organs, and maintaining body temperature.
