Name: water as a biological solvent
Uploaded: 2019-03-11T09:21:00.000Z
Duration: 1 min 12 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

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North Carolina K-12 Science Standard Course of Study

9-12

Earth and Environmental Science

Earth's Systems

ESS.EES.3.1

Solvents

- [Narratore] Un solvente
è una qualsiasi sostanza

che scioglie altre molecole,

note come soluti, che vengono disciolti.

Per esempio, l'abbondante
acqua nel citoplasma cellulare

scioglie e trasporta molti nutrienti

necessari alla sopravvivenza.

La chimica cellulare è resa possibile

dalla polarità dell'acqua,

cioè dalla parziale carica
positiva sugli atomi di idrogeno

e la piccola carica
negativa sull'ossigeno.

Quando è presente un composto ionico,

come il sale o cloruro di sodio,

i singoli ioni vengono
maggiormente attratti dall'acqua

che gli uni dagli altri,
formando legami a idrogeno.

Ora l'acqua che circonda le
particelle crea un guscio,

una sfera di idratazione,

che mantiene i soluti disciolti
in un miscuglio omogeneo

che prende il nome di soluzione.

solventi

Un solvente è una sostanza, il più delle volte un liquido, che può sciogliere altre sostanze. Qui, la sostanza che si sta sciogliendo è chiamata soluto. Quando un solvente e un soluto si combinano, formano una soluzione che, a livello molecolare, è una miscela omogenea sia del solvente che del soluto. L'acqua è un solvente biologico universale. La sua struttura polare gli permette di sciogliere molti altri composti polari. La capacità dell'acqua di sciogliersi è regolata da un equilibrio tra molecole d'acqua che si legano tra loro e si legano al soluto.

Una soluzione satura contiene la quantità massima di soluto dissolubile. Ad esempio, il sale (NaCl) viene facilmente disciolto in acqua per creare acqua salata o salina. Si dissolve perché il sale dissocia nei suoi rispettivi ioni sodio(Na) e cloruro (Cl-). L'acqua è polare, quindi il suo atomo di ossigeno, essendo leggermente negativo, è attratto dagli ioni di sodio positivi. Diverse molecole d'acqua possono legarsi a un singolo ione di sodio, creando una sfera di idratazione. Allo stesso modo, gli atomi di idrogeno dell'acqua sono leggermente positivi e sono attratti dagli ioni cloruro negativi, creando nuovamente una sfera di idratazione intorno agli ioni cloruro. Questi gusci di idratazione mantengono le particelle solute separate e disperse, creando una soluzione.

Una soluzione satura di acqua salata (a temperatura ambiente) contiene circa il 26% di cloruro di sodio. Se viene aggiunto più sale, l'eccesso non può essere disciolto nella soluzione e diventa un precipitato sul fondo. Il contenuto di sale del Grande Lago Salato nello Utah (USA) varia dal 5 al 27%. Il Mar Morto, confinante con Israele, Giordania e Cisgiordania, ha un contenuto di sale del 34%. Questo è sostanzialmente superiore al livello di saturazione del sale in acqua. Il sale in eccesso precipita fuori, creando straordinarie formazioni di cristallo di sale.

La solubilità di un solubilità, o capacità di dissolversi in acqua, è cruciale per le funzioni biologiche. Ad esempio, le proteine e gli amminoacidi devono essere disciolti per ottenere l'accesso alle cellule. Allo stesso modo, sodio, cloruro, potassio, e ioni di calcio (tra gli altri) sono necessari per la funzione cellulare. Proteine, ioni e altri nutrienti vengono disciolti nel sangue, che è acqua del 79%. I reni aiutano a mantenere i livelli appropriati di questi soluti disciolti nel sangue rimuovendoli o aggiungendoli durante la filtrazione, un processo chiamato osmoregolazione.

Solventi

A solvent is a substance, most often a liquid, that can dissolve other substances. Here, the substance being dissolved is called a solute. When a solvent ...

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JoVE Core

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Chemistry of Life

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KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

TERMINI E CONCETTI CHIAVE

water as a biological solvent

Water acts as a biological solvent in many living systems. A solvent is a substance, usually a liquid, that dissolves another substance called a solute. When a solvent and a solute mix, they form a solution, which is a uniform mixture of both parts.

Water is called a universal biological solvent because its polar structure helps it dissolve many other polar compounds. Polarity means that one side of the molecule has a slight positive charge and the other side has a slight negative charge. Water’s ability to dissolve substances depends on a balance between water molecules sticking to each other and sticking to the solute.

A saturated solution holds the maximum amount of solute that can dissolve. Table salt, or sodium chloride (NaCl), dissolves readily in water to make salt water, also called saline. When salt dissolves, it breaks apart into sodium ions (Na+) and chloride ions (Cl-).

Water molecules then surround these ions. The oxygen atom in water is slightly negative, so it is attracted to sodium ions. The hydrogen atoms are slightly positive, so they are attracted to chloride ions. Several water molecules can cluster around each ion and form a sphere of hydration. These hydration shells keep the particles separated and dispersed, which allows a solution to form.

At room temperature, saturated salt water contains about 26% sodium chloride. If more salt is added, the extra salt cannot dissolve. It settles out as a precipitate at the bottom. The Great Salt Lake in Utah has a salt content that ranges from 5% to 27%. The Dead Sea, bordered by Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank, has about 34% salt. That is well above the saturation level of salt in water, so excess salt precipitates and forms striking salt crystals.

Solubility is important for biology because many molecules must stay dissolved to work in the body. Proteins and amino acids need to be dissolved to reach cells. Ions such as sodium, chloride, potassium, and calcium are also needed for cell function. Proteins, ions, and other nutrients stay dissolved in the blood. The kidneys help control the right levels of these dissolved solutes by removing or adding them during filtration. This process is called osmoregulation.

Water as a Biological Solvent

the periodic table and organismal elements

the-periodic-table-and-organismal-elements

Periodic Table Basics for Living Things

The periodic table helps explain which elements living things need and how those elements are related. Elements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all occur naturally, and even fewer are essential for life. Living matter is made mostly of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen. Together, these elements make up most of the human body and are also found in all life on Earth. Smaller amounts of calcium,...

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Atoms are the smallest units of elements, and they make up all matter. Each atom contains three subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. These particles give an atom its mass and its charge. The idea that matter is made of tiny particles goes back to Democritus, a Greek philosopher around 450 B.C. He used the word atomos, which means “indivisible.” The idea was not accepted at the time, but it returned many centuries later. In the 19th century, John Dalton proposed an atomic...

isotopes

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Atomic mass and isotopes are linked by the number of protons and neutrons in an atom. The number of protons sets an element’s atomic number, or Z. For example, every atom with eight protons is oxygen. Atoms of the same element can still differ because they can have different numbers of neutrons. The mass number, or A, is the total of protons and neutrons. Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers are called isotopes. Elements can have several isotopes. Carbon-12, carbon-13,...

electron behavior

Electron Shells and Valence Electrons

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electron orbital model

Electron Orbitals and Energy Levels

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covalent bonds

Electronegativity and Covalent Bond Polarity

Covalent bonds form when two atoms share electrons to fill their valence shells. The way those shared electrons are pulled depends on electronegativity, which is an atom’s ability to attract electrons in a bond. When atoms have similar electronegativities, they form nonpolar covalent bonds. When their electronegativities differ, the bond is polar because the electrons are shared unevenly. The number of covalent bonds an atom can make depends on its valence electrons. Oxygen has six valence...

ionic bonds

Ionic Compounds and Electrolytes

Ionic compounds form when atoms gain or lose electrons to reach a more stable electron configuration. The charged particles that result are called ions. Ionic bonds are electrostatic attractions between oppositely charged ions. The most reactive elements include those with one valence electron, such as potassium, and those that need one more valence electron, such as chlorine. Ions that lose electrons become positive cations. Ions that gain electrons become negative anions. Cations and anions...

hydrogen bonds

Hydrogen Bonds in Water

Hydrogen bonds in water are weak attractions between atoms that are already part of other chemical bonds. One atom is electronegative, such as oxygen, and carries a partial negative charge. The other is a hydrogen atom that is bonded to another electronegative atom and has a partial positive charge. These attractions form because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom like oxygen or nitrogen. The electrons in that bond are shared unequally.

van der waals interactions

Intermolecular Forces in Polar Solutions

Intermolecular forces are the attractions and repulsions that act between atoms and molecules. These electrostatic forces come from particles with permanent, partial, or temporary charges. For neutral atoms and molecules, the main types are ion-dipole, dipole-dipole, and dispersion forces, which are together called van der Waals forces. Polar molecules have a partial positive end and a partial negative end. That separation of charge creates a dipole. In water, oxygen is more electronegative...

elements and compounds

Elements, Compounds, and Bonding

Elements and compounds are the two main kinds of pure substances. A pure substance contains only one kind of matter. An element contains only one type of atom. A compound contains two or more types of atoms joined by a chemical bond. Elements can be atomic or molecular, depending on their basic units. They are unique forms of matter with specific chemical and physical properties. Ordinary chemical reactions cannot break an element into a smaller substance. There are 118 elements, but only 98...

molecular shapes

Electron Geometry and Lone Pairs

Electron geometry and lone pairs help explain why molecules take specific shapes. The arrangement of electron groups around a central atom controls the molecular geometry. Valence electrons form bonding pairs, which sit mainly between bonded atoms, or lone pairs, which belong to one atom only. Electron pairs in the valence shell spread out to reduce repulsion. They do this by maximizing the distance between one another. A diatomic molecule has two regions of electron density, and these are...

pH Scale in Everyday Solutions

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chemical reactions

Atoms, Bonds, and Chemical Reactions

Chemical reactions rearrange atoms to form new substances. In a reaction, the starting materials are called reactants, and the new substances are called products. The atoms stay the same type and number, but their bonds change, so the substances become different compounds. During a chemical reaction, bonds between atoms break and form again. This means the shared electrons are rearranged. Some reactions happen on their own, while others need an energy source such as heat or light. In biology,...

redox reactions

Electron Transfer in Redox

Redox reactions are chemical reactions that involve electron transfer between atoms or molecules. When one particle gains electrons, another must lose them at the same time. That is why oxidation and reduction always happen together. The two roles in a redox reaction are linked. The atom that is oxidized acts as the reducing agent, or reductant. The atom that is reduced acts as the oxidizing agent, or oxidant. A simple way to remember the ideas is OIL-RIG, which means oxidation is losing...

cohesion

Water Molecules and Surface Tension

Water molecules stick to each other through cohesion. Water is neutral overall, but it is a polar molecule. The oxygen atom in one water molecule has a partial negative charge, and it can bind with a hydrogen atom that has a partial positive charge in another water molecule. This forms a hydrogen bond. Each water molecule can form up to four hydrogen bonds with other water molecules, and these bonds give water its cohesive nature. Cohesion helps water form droplets on a surface. Water does not...

adhesion

Water Climbing by Adhesion

Water can climb or stick to surfaces because of adhesion, which is the attraction between different kinds of molecules. In water, this is easy to see on polar surfaces such as glass or cellulose in plants. The positive hydrogen side of water is more attracted to the negative oxygen in silica than to nearby water molecules. This attraction helps explain capillary action. If a narrow glass tube is placed in a beaker of water, water molecules attach to the tube’s surface and the water level rises.

states of water

Water Phase Changes and Ice Density

Water changes between solid, liquid, and gas states as temperature and molecular motion change. In this lesson, the focus is on how water freezes, melts, vaporizes, and returns to liquid or solid form. The balance between intermolecular forces, which pull molecules together, and kinetic energy, which pushes them apart, controls each state. Water freezes when intermolecular forces become stronger than kinetic energy. Unlike most substances, ice is less dense than liquid water. This happens...

specific heat

How Specific Heat Affects Temperature

Specific heat capacity describes how much energy a substance needs to rise by 1 degree Celsius for each gram. It is often written with calories, grams, and degrees Celsius, but it can also be shown in joules, kilograms, and Kelvin. For water, 1 gram needs 1 calorie to increase by 1°C, which is also written as 1 cal/g-°C or 4186 J/kg/K. Water has a high specific heat capacity, so it takes in a large amount of heat before its temperature changes much. It also gives off a lot of heat when it...

vaporization

Vaporization, Boiling, and Evaporation

Vaporization changes a liquid into vapor when temperature adds enough kinetic energy to overcome intermolecular forces. It is a surface phenomenon, which means it starts at the liquid’s surface. The energy needed to vaporize a set amount of liquid at a given pressure and constant temperature is called the heat of vaporization. Water shows this process clearly. When liquid water is vaporized, it becomes steam. One way this happens is boiling, which occurs when vapor bubbles form beneath the...

solvents

Water acts as a biological solvent in many living systems. A solvent is a substance, usually a liquid, that dissolves another substance called a solute. When a solvent and a solute mix, they form a solution, which is a uniform mixture of both parts. Water is called a universal biological solvent because its polar structure helps it dissolve many other polar compounds. Polarity means that one side of the molecule has a slight positive charge and the other side has a slight negative charge.

carbon skeletons

Carbon Backbones in Biomolecules

Carbon backbones give biological molecules their structure and flexibility. Living things are built from macromolecules that contain carbon atoms, and organic compounds are defined by a carbon backbone. Carbon is tetravalent, so each carbon atom can bond with four other atoms. Its valence electrons are stable, so carbon rarely becomes an ion. As carbon chains get longer, they can form ring structures, double bonds, and branching side chains. Carbon-carbon bonds create the carbon skeleton.

key terms and concepts

Explore how water dissolves salt, forms hydration shells, and reaches saturation. Learn why dissolved ions matter for cells, blood, and kidney regulation.

Water as a Biological Solvent | JoVE K12

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JoVE Core Biologia illustra i concetti chiave della biologia grazie a oltre 300 video-lezioni animate, concise e di facile comprensione. Inoltre, negli oltre 150 video di "scienziati in azione", i concetti scientifici vengono applicati e dimostrati da ricercatori attraverso esperimenti in laboratorio.

Pennsylvania State Academic Standards

Earth and Space Science

3.3.9-12.K

Alabama Course of Study Science

from-molecules-to-organisms-structures-and-processes

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

9-12.B.1.4.b

Florida Department of Education

High School

Life Science

SC.912.L.18

SC.912.L.18.12

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South Carolina College and Career Ready Science Standards

Earth and Space Science (ESS)

Earth’s Systems

E-ESS2-5.

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ESS.EES.2.4

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Water as a Biological Solvent

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