Textbook Question
Groups of atoms such as NH₂ or OH that appear in certain common arrangements are called __________ .
Ch. 2 - The Chemistry of Microbiology
Bauman6th EditionMicrobiology with Diseases by TaxonomyISBN: 9780134832302
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Table of contents
- Ch. 1 - A Brief History of Microbiology31
- Ch. 2 - The Chemistry of Microbiology28
- Ch. 3 - Cell Structure and Function39
- Ch. 4 - Microscopy, Staining, and Classification25
- Ch. 5 - Microbial Metabolism51
- Ch. 6 - Microbial Nutrition and Growth37
- Ch. 7 - Microbial Genetics51
- Ch. 8 - Recombinant DNA Technology21
- Ch. 9 - Controlling Microbial Growth in the Environment36
- Ch. 10 - Controlling Microbial Growth in the Body: Antimicrobial Drugs21
- Ch. 11 - Characterizing and Classifying Prokaryotes29
- Ch. 12 - Characterizing and Classifying Eukaryotes34
- Ch. 13 - Characterizing and Classifying Viruses, Viroids, and Prions23
- Ch. 14 - Infection, Infectious Diseases, and Epidemiology35
- Ch. 15 - Innate Immunity34
- Ch. 16 - Adaptive Immunity21
- Ch. 17 - Immunization and Immune Testing29
- Ch. 18 - Immune Disorders22
- Ch. 19 - Pathogenic Gram-Positive Bacteria25
- Ch. 20 - Pathogenic Gram-Negative Cocci and Bacilli28
- Ch. 21 - Rickettsias, Chlamydias, Spirochetes, and Vibrios25
- Ch. 22 - Pathogenic Fungi47
- Ch. 23 - Parasitic Protozoa, Helminths, and Arthropod Vectors44
- Ch. 24 - Pathogenic DNA Viruses23
- Ch. 25 - Pathogenic RNA Viruses30
- Ch. 26 - Applied and Industrial Microbiology29
- Ch. 27 - Microbial Ecology and Microbiomes22
Bauman6th EditionMicrobiology with Diseases by TaxonomyISBN: 9780134832302Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 2, Problem 5
Explain how the polarity of water molecules makes water an excellent solvent.
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Understand that water molecules are polar because of the difference in electronegativity between oxygen and hydrogen atoms, where oxygen has a partial negative charge (δ-) and hydrogen atoms have partial positive charges (δ+).
Recognize that this polarity allows water molecules to interact with other charged or polar substances by surrounding and separating their ions or molecules.
Explain that when an ionic compound dissolves in water, the positive ends of water molecules are attracted to the negative ions, and the negative ends are attracted to the positive ions, effectively pulling the ions apart.
Describe how this interaction between water molecules and solute particles prevents the solute from recombining, keeping it dispersed evenly throughout the solution.
Conclude that this ability to dissolve many ionic and polar substances makes water an excellent solvent, often called the 'universal solvent' in biological systems.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Polarity of Water Molecules
Water molecules have a polar structure because oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen, creating a partial negative charge near oxygen and partial positive charges near hydrogens. This uneven charge distribution allows water to interact with other charged or polar substances.
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Introduction to Water
Hydrogen Bonding
The polarity of water enables hydrogen bonds to form between water molecules and other polar molecules or ions. These bonds help break apart solutes by surrounding and separating their particles, facilitating dissolution.
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05:03Hydrogen Bonding
Solvent Properties of Water
Water’s polarity allows it to dissolve many ionic and polar substances by stabilizing their charged particles in solution. This makes water an excellent solvent, essential for biological processes where solutes must be transported or chemically reacted.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
In water, cations and anions of salts dissociate from one another and become surrounded by water molecules. In this state, the ions are also called __________ .
a. electrically negative
b. ionically bonded
c. electrolytes
d. hydrogen bonds
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Textbook Question
What is the difference between atomic oxygen and molecular oxygen?
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Textbook Question
Which of the following is not an organic compound?
a. Monosaccharide
b. Formaldehyde
c. Water
d. Steroid
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Textbook Question
The reverse of dehydration synthesis is __________ .
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Textbook Question
Which of the following terms most correctly describes the bonds in a molecule of water?
a. Nonpolar covalent bond
b. Polar covalent bond
c. Ionic bond
d. Hydrogen bond
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