Water. Characteristics of water Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Water. Characteristics of water - Essay Example According to Benjamin (32) water comprises of about 54-78% of the total human body. It is an important component of human nutrition and it is taken directly through drinking and as a constituent of food. This paper examines scientific and chemical properties of water, with special focus on its application in food and nutrition. Characteristics of water Water has a chemical formula, H2O and hence it is a compound made of one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms, bound by strong covalent bonds. Water naturally exists in three states, namely solid in form of ice, liquid and in gaseous form. In liquid state, chemically pure water is tasteless, odorless and colorless substance with a tinge of blue color. It has a density of 1g/cm3 at 40C . Water freezes at 0o C and reaches its boiling point of 100oC at standard pressure of 760mm Hg (Benjamin 53-56). Water demonstrates various chemical properties. It reacts with acidic and basic oxides forming inorganic acids and alkalis respectively. Water react s with metals and non-metals to form respective hydroxides (Armstrong and Kellee, 19). Some salts bonds with water to form hydrated compounds containing water of crystallization in the structure. These hydrated salts can loose the water of crystallization when subjected to high temperature forming anhydrous compounds. Water is a polar molecule and many substances dissolves in it (Benjamin76). The chemical and physical properties of water