Physical Properties of Water

Physical Properties

The observable and measurable traits that belong to one kind of matter.

Ex. Clarity, Smell, Freezing point, boiling point…

(If there is a chemical change involved, we are outside the realm of physical properties)

Watery WondersWater can be found naturally in 3 states:

Universal Solvent: many substances dissolve easily into water

Varied Density: How much mass can fit into a given volume?

at room temperature = ~ 1.0 g/ml3

Heating it up

• As temperatures rise, water gets less dense (hot water molecules take up more room)

• 100 ⁰ C (212⁰ F) is water’s boiling point, transforming it into a gas called water vapor.

Cooling it down

• As water cools off it remains quite dense

• Freezing point @ 0⁰ C (32⁰ F) water becomes a low density solid

Sinking the Titanic…

• What large heavy object was responsible for sinking the Titanic……

If it was so heavy why was it floating????

Watch out its an iceberg!!!

• Water is unusual in that the solid form, ice, is less dense than the liquid form, which is why ice floats.

Acid or basic……

• Pure water has a neutral pH of 7, which is neither acidic nor basic!!

Bonus Question: What Bodily fluid copies water in it’s pH value?

Are you tense?

• Water has a very high surface tension. In other words, water is sticky and elastic, and

tends to clump together in drops rather than spread out in a thin film.

It’s getting hot in here……• Water has a high specific heat index. This means

that water can absorb a lot of heat before it begins to get hot.

• This is why water is valuable to industries and in your car's radiator as a coolant.

Dirty Water?

• Heterogeneous Mixtures: Obviously dirty

composition of the mixture is not uniform (evenly spread out) , often chunks or layers

• Homogeneous mixtures – evenly dispersed

Composition of the mixture is uniform throughout, blended into one appearance.