Water

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This article is about general aspects of water. For a detailed discussion of its physical
and chemical properties, see Properties of water. For other uses, see Water
(disambiguation).
"H2O" redirects here. For other uses, see H₂O (disambiguation).

Water in three states: solid (ice), liquid and vapor (here mostly invisible water vapor, cooling and condensing, is
building clouds).

Water is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical

substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of most
living organisms. It is vital for all known forms of life, even though it provides
no calories or organic nutrients. Its chemical formula is H2O, meaning that each of
its molecules contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms, connected by covalent
bonds. Water is the name of the liquid state of H2O at standard ambient temperature
and pressure. It forms precipitation in the form of rain and aerosols in the form
of fog. Clouds are formed from suspended droplets of water and ice, its solid state.
When finely divided, crystalline ice may precipitate in the form of snow. The gaseous
state of water is steam or water vapor. Water moves continually through the water
cycle of evaporation, transpiration (evapotranspiration), condensation, precipitation,
and runoff, usually reaching the sea.
Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface, mostly in seas and oceans.[1] Small portions of
water occur as groundwater (1.7%), in the glaciers and the ice
caps of Antarctica and Greenland (1.7%), and in the air as vapor, clouds (formed of ice
and liquid water suspended in air), and precipitation (0.001%).[2][3]
 Water plays an important role in the world economy. Approximately 70% of the
freshwater used by humans goes to agriculture.[4] Fishing in salt and fresh water bodies
is a major source of food for many parts of the world. Much of the long-distance trade
of commodities (such as oil, natural gas, and manufactured products) is transported
by boats through seas, rivers, lakes, and canals. Large quantities of water, ice,
and steam are used for cooling and heating, in industry and homes. Water is an
excellent solvent for a wide variety of substances both mineral and organic; as such it is
widely used in industrial processes, and in cooking and washing. Water, ice and snow
are also central to many sports and other forms of entertainment, such
as swimming, pleasure boating, boat racing, surfing, sport fishing, diving, ice
skating and skiing.

Contents

 1Etymology
 2History
 3Chemical and physical properties
o 3.1States
 3.1.1Density
 3.1.2Phase transitions
 3.1.3Triple and critical points
 3.1.4Phases of ice and water
o 3.2Taste and odor
o 3.3Color and appearance
o 3.4Polar molecule
o 3.5Hydrogen bonding
o 3.6Electrical conductivity and electrolysis
o 3.7Mechanical properties
o 3.8Reactivity
 4On Earth
o 4.1Water cycle
o 4.2Fresh water storage
o 4.3Sea water and tides
 5Effects on life
o 5.1Aquatic life forms
 6Effects on human civilization
o 6.1Health and pollution
o 6.2Human uses
 6.2.1Agriculture
 6.2.2As a scientific standard
 6.2.3For drinking
 6.2.4Washing
 6.2.5Transportation
 6.2.6Chemical uses
 6.2.7Heat exchange
 6.2.8Fire considerations
 6.2.9Recreation
 6.2.10Water industry
 6.2.11Industrial applications
 6.2.12Food processing
 6.2.13Medical use
 7Distribution in nature
o 7.1In the universe
  7.1.1Water vapor
 7.1.2Liquid water
 7.1.3Water ice
 7.1.4Exotic forms
o 7.2Water and habitable zone
 8Law, politics, and crisis
 9In culture
o 9.1Religion
o 9.2Philosophy
o 9.3Dihydrogen monoxide parody
 10See also
 11References
 12Further reading
 13External links

Etymology
The word water comes from Old English wæter, from Proto-Germanic *watar (source
also of Old Saxon watar, Old Frisian wetir, Dutch water, Old High
German wazzar, German Wasser, Old Norse vatn, Gothic wato), from Proto-Indo-
European *wod-or, suffixed form of root *wed- ("water"; "wet").[5] Also cognate, through
the Indo-European root,
with Greek ύδωρ (ýdor), Russian вода́ (vodá), Irish uisce, Albanian ujë.

History
Main articles: Origin of water on Earth §  History of water on Earth, and Properties of
water §  History

Chemical and physical properties

Main article: Properties of water
See also: Water (data page) and Water model
Water (H
2O) is a polar inorganic compound that is at room

temperature a tasteless and odorless liquid, nearly colorless with a hint of blue. This

simplest hydrogen chalcogenide is by far the most studied chemical compound and is
described as the "universal solvent" for its ability to dissolve many substances. [6][7] This
allows it to be the "solvent of life":[8] indeed, water as found in nature almost always
includes various dissolved substances, and special steps are required to obtain
chemically pure water. Water is the only common substance to exist as a solid, liquid,
and gas in normal terrestrial conditions.[9]
States
The three common states of matter

Along with oxidane, water is one of the two official names for the chemical compound H
2O;  it is also the liquid phase of H
[10]

2O. [11]
 The other two common states of matter of water are the solid phase, ice, and the
gaseous phase, water vapor or steam. The addition or removal of heat can
cause phase transitions: freezing (water to ice), melting (ice to
water), vaporization (water to vapor), condensation (vapor to water), sublimation (ice to
vapor) and deposition (vapor to ice).[12]
Density
Water differs from most liquids in that it becomes less dense as it freezes.[14] In 1 atm
pressure, it reaches its maximum density of 1,000 kg/m3 (62.43 lb/cu ft) at 3.98 °C
(39.16 °F).[15] The density of ice is 917 kg/m3 (57.25 lb/cu ft), an expansion of 9%.[16][17] This
expansion can exert enormous pressure, bursting pipes and cracking rocks (see Frost
weathering).[18]
In a lake or ocean, water at 4°C sinks to the bottom and ice forms on the surface,
floating on the liquid water. This ice insulates the water below, preventing it from
freezing solid. Without this protection, most aquatic organisms would perish during the
winter.[19]
Phase transitions
At a pressure of one atmosphere (atm), ice melts or water freezes at 0 °C (32 °F) and
water boils or vapor condenses at 100 °C (212 °F). However, even below the boiling
point, water can change to vapor at its surface by evaporation (vaporization throughout
the liquid is known as boiling). Sublimation and deposition also occur on surfaces. [12] For
example, frost is deposited on cold surfaces while snowflakes form by deposition on an
aerosol particle or ice nucleus.[20] In the process of freeze-drying, a food is frozen and
then stored at low pressure so the ice on its surface sublimates. [21]
The melting and boiling points depend on pressure. A good approximation for the rate of
change of the melting temperature with pressure is given by the Clausius–Clapeyron
relation:
where  and  are the molar volumes of the liquid and gas phases, and  is the
molar latent heat of melting. In most substances, the volume increases when
melting occurs, so the melting temperature increases with pressure. However,
because ice is less dense than water, the melting temperature decreases. [13] In
glaciers, pressure melting can occur under sufficiently thick volumes of ice, resulting
in subglacial lakes.[22][23]
The Clausius-Clapeyron relation also applies to the boiling point, except now the
vapor phase has a much lower density than the liquid phase, so the boiling point
increases with pressure.[24] Water can remain in a liquid state at high temperatures in
the deep ocean or underground. For example, temperatures exceed 205 °C (401 °F)
in Old Faithful, a geyser in Yellowstone National Park.[25] In hydrothermal vents, the
temperature can exceed 400 °C (752 °F).[26]
At sea level, the boiling point of water is 100 °C (212 °F). As atmospheric pressure
decreases with altitude, the boiling point decreases by 1 °C every 274 meters. High-
altitude cooking takes longer than sea-level cooking. For example, at 1,524 metres
(5,000 ft), cooking time must be increased by a fourth to achieve the desired result.
[27]
 (Conversely, a pressure cooker can be used to decrease cooking times by raising
the boiling temperature.[28]) In a vacuum, water will boil at room temperature. [29]
Triple and critical points

Phase diagram of water simplified

On a pressure/temperature phase diagram (see figure), there are curves separating

solid from vapor, vapor from liquid, and liquid from solid. These meet at a single
point called the triple point, where all three phases can coexist. The triple point is at
a temperature of 273.16 K (0.01 °C) and a pressure of 611.657 pascals
(0.00604 atm);[30] it is the lowest pressure at which liquid water can exist. Until 2019,
the triple point was used to define the Kelvin temperature scale. [31][32]
The water/vapor phase curve terminates at 647.096 K (373.946 °C; 705.103 °F) and
22.064 megapascals (3,200.1 psi; 217.75 atm).[33] This is known as the critical point.
At higher temperatures and pressures the liquid and vapor phases form a
continuous phase called a supercritical fluid. It can be gradually compressed or
expanded between gas-like and liquid-like densities, its properties (which are quite
different from those of ambient water) are sensitive to density. For example, for
suitable pressures and temperatures it can mix freely with nonpolar compounds,
including most organic compounds. This makes it useful in a variety of applications
including high-temperature electrochemistry and as an ecologically benign solvent
or catalyst in chemical reactions involving organic compounds. In Earth's mantle, it
acts as a solvent during mineral formation, dissolution and deposition. [34][35]