Exploring the properties of water

Abstract

Water is the most common sub stance on the planet yet it has some very unusual characteristics. Pure water is odourless and tasteless. A drop of water is made up of millions of tiny particles. Water has a very simple atomic structure. Water is composed of two elements, Hydrogen and Oxygen, making it a compound. Pure water has a neutral pH of 7, which is neither acidic nor basic. 2 Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen = H2O One of the most remarkable things about water is that it can be found in all three states of matter: solid ice, liquid water and gaseous water vapour (or steam). When water is cooled down to about 0°C it will freeze. When it is heated up to about 100°C it boils, changing from a liquid to vapour. Earth’s water is constantly interacting, changing and in movement. This perhaps makes water one of the greatest examples of recycling. Did you know that water expands (gets less dense) by 9% when it freezes? This is very unusual for liquids. Think of the ice blocks in your glass of water on a hot summer’s day. It floats on top rather than sinking to the bottom.

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