BRAINCAKEWater as a Transport Medium
Transport systems in animals and plants move substances in solution, and water is the liquid that does the carrying. Several properties make it ideal for this.
It is a good solvent. Because water is polar, it dissolves glucose, amino acids, ions, vitamins, hormones and urea. Blood plasma is about 90% water and carries all of these around the body. Most carbon dioxide travels in the plasma as dissolved hydrogencarbonate ions.
It is liquid over a wide range of temperatures. Water is liquid from 0 °C to 100 °C, which includes the temperatures at which organisms live, so it can flow through vessels.
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Key terms in this lesson
- specific heat capacity
- The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of a substance by one degree Celsius.
- cohesion
- The attraction between molecules of the same substance, such as water molecules held together by hydrogen bonds.
More in Chemistry for Life
- Covalent Bonding
- Important Anions
- Important Cations
- Water
- Water as a Polar Solvent
- Water as a Habitat
- Water in Plant Transport Systems
- Water in Hydraulic Mechanisms
All 10 lessons in Chemistry for Life · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics