Questions: All of the following describe properties of water that enable it to support life, except... cohesion and adhesion water is nonpolar High specific heat water forms hydrogen bonds Ice floats!
Transcript text: All of the following describe properties of water that enable it to support life, except... cohesion and adhesion water is nonpolar High specific heat water forms hydrogen bonds Ice floats!
Solution
The answer is: water is nonpolar.
Explanation for each option:
Cohesion and adhesion: These properties are crucial for water's role in supporting life. Cohesion allows water molecules to stick together, which is important for processes like water transport in plants. Adhesion helps water to stick to other surfaces, aiding in capillary action.
Water is nonpolar: This statement is incorrect regarding water's properties. Water is actually a polar molecule, which is essential for its ability to dissolve many substances, making it an excellent solvent for biological reactions.
High specific heat: Water's high specific heat capacity allows it to absorb and release large amounts of heat with little temperature change, helping to stabilize environments and organisms' internal temperatures.
Water forms hydrogen bonds: This property is fundamental to water's unique characteristics, such as its high surface tension, boiling and melting points, and its role as a solvent.
Ice floats!: Ice being less dense than liquid water is crucial for aquatic life, as it insulates the water below and provides a habitat for certain organisms.
In summary, the incorrect statement about water's properties that enable it to support life is that water is nonpolar. Water is actually polar, which is vital for its role in biological systems.