The Bent Water Molecule – Why Is It Bent?

Chemistry, Physics
[caption id="attachment_14934" align="alignright" width="480"] Liquid Water (Left) - Ice (Right)[/caption] The water molecule, H₂O, consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. A naïve attempt at writing its structure out in full is H‒O‒H. What’s naïve about this? This drawing is linear—a straight line. It is naïve because the water molecule is a bent water molecule... bent at about 104.5°. It is a good thing for us that this is so, since this imparts a degree of polarity to the water molecule. Polarity, in turn, gives rise to hydrogen bonding. The hydrogen bonding of molecules assures water’s liquidity. In addition hydrogen bonding influences water’s crystallization, so that ice is lighter than very cold water. Ice thus floats, forming an insulating blanket atop lakes and other bodies of water. This…
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Polymeric Water Clusters

Chemistry, Physics
[caption id="attachment_12642" align="alignright" width="480"] Ice floating in water. Image Morguefile by larryfarr[/caption] Polymeric water clusters? What are they? And what do they have to do with life? There’s no point in discussing how important water is to life. It is the single most necessary compound for the existence and survival of human, animal, and plant life. Why Special? What makes water special is its unusual behavior. Typical of liquids, as water approaches freezing, its density increases. Yet just before freezing, it suddenly decreases. This is why ice floats. Once it forms, ice insulates the water beneath it. It prevents large bodies of water from freezing solid. How? Hydrogen bonding. To understand hydrogen bonding, we must first consider the shape of the water molecule. Geometry of a Water Molecule A water…
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