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6: Water and Solutions

  • Page ID
    74107
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    • 6.1: Water
      The polarity of the water molecule and its resulting hydrogen bonding make water a unique substance with special properties that are intimately tied to the processes of life. Life originally evolved in a watery environment, and most of an organism’s cellular chemistry and metabolism occur inside the watery contents of the cell’s cytoplasm.  Understanding the characteristics of water helps to elucidate its importance in maintaining life.
    • 6.2: Solutions
      Solutions form because a solute and a solvent experience similar intermolecular interactions.
    • 6.3: Concentration
      Various concentration units are used to express the amounts of solute in a solution. Concentration units can be used as conversion factors in stoichiometry problems. New concentrations can be easily calculated if a solution is diluted.
    • 6.4: The Dissolution Process
      When a solute dissolves, its individual particles are surrounded by solvent molecules and are separated from each other.


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