Water a very special substance
3 important questions on Water a very special substance
Explain the meaning of the sentence:'water has a high specific heat capacity".
A lot of heat is needed to increase the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree.
If we compare water with methane, both have the same mass. How can you explain the high boiling point of water?
In methane you will find van der Waals forces only, between the molecules.
Water molecules on the other hand have a small positive electric charge on one side of the molecule and a small negative electric charge on the other side. These water molecules will now attract each other and these electrical forces are much stronger than the van der Waals interaction.
Water molecules on the other hand have a small positive electric charge on one side of the molecule and a small negative electric charge on the other side. These water molecules will now attract each other and these electrical forces are much stronger than the van der Waals interaction.
So why does it take such a long time to boil?
To get water to boil, the water molecules need to let go of one another. In water much more energy is needed for this process than in methane. That is why water has a much higher boiling point than methane.
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