The Properties of Water

Biology: IB Diploma Higher Level, topic 1.1.3

Hydrogen Bonding & Water's Properties

Hydrogen bonding gives water its special characteristics, including cohesion, adhesion, and surface tension.

Have you ever filled a glass of water to the very top and then slowly added a few more drops?
Before it overflows, the water forms a dome-like shape above the rim of the glass.
This water can stay above the glass because of the property of cohesion.
In cohesion, water molecules are attracted to each other (because of hydrogen bonding), keeping the molecules together at the liquid-gas (water-air) interface, although there is no more room in the glass.

Cohesion allows for the development of surface tension, the capacity of a substance to withstand being ruptured when placed under tension or stress.
This is also why water forms droplets when placed on a dry surface rather than being flattened out by gravity.
Cohesion and surface tension keep the hydrogen bonds of water molecules intact and support the item floating on the top.

Cohesive forces are related to water’s property of adhesion, or the attraction between water molecules and other molecules.
This attraction is sometimes stronger than water’s cohesive forces, especially when the water is exposed to charged surfaces such as those found on the inside of thin glass tubes known as capillary tubes.

Adhesion is observed when water “climbs” up the tube placed in a glass of water.
Notice that the water appears to be higher on the sides of the tube than in the middle.
This is because the water molecules are attracted to the charged glass walls of the capillary more than they are to each other and therefore adhere to it.
This type of adhesion is called capillary action.

Cohesive and adhesive forces are important for the transport of water from the roots to the leaves in plants.
These forces create a “pull” on the water column.
This pull results from the tendency of water molecules being evaporated on the surface of the plant to stay connected to water molecules below them, and so they are pulled along.
Plants use this natural phenomenon to help transport water from their roots to their leaves.