Water and the Fitness of the Environment
Chapter 3 Campbell & Reece 8th Ed.
 

1. What do we mean when we say that water is a polar molecule?
2. Why is water important to living systems?  Consider the following properties of water in your discussion; cohesion, adhesion, high specific heat, surface tension, versatility as a solvent.
3. How does water influence the cooling and warming in biological systems?
4. Why does ice float, and why is this important to aquatic ecosystems?
5. Understand why certain compounds are hydrophilic or hydrophobic.
6. What is a mole?  What is molarity?  Describe the procedure for making a 1M solution of a compound.
7. Acid/Base Chemistry:
• What is pH?
• What does it measure?
• What is a pH buffer and give some examples of their importance to living systems?
• What are the implications of a log scale with respect to pH?
• What makes a substance an acid or a base?
• Why are these characteristics important to organisms?