Why is water vital for life?
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Why is water vital for life?
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Solution Summary
In this short essay (including 2 sources) we explore why water is so important for life on earth, in terms of its chemistry and physical interactions. Don't miss why water is critical to us all!
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Water is the single most important substance for life as we know it. Without water, we could not form biomolecules because there would be no solvent appropriate for running the reactions that occur in living organisms.
Chemically, there are many reasons why water makes a suitable platform for life, while no other liquid is known to be capable of supporting it. First, it acts as a massive heat sink that provides critical stabilization of temperature in an environment. This is due to water's hydrogen bonding nature that is above and beyond many other solvents. For example, ethanol can also form hydrogen bonds, but only a few at a time, hence the greater ease of evaporating the alcohol away. Water, on the other hand, can form large networks of interactions that inhibit the ...
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