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Basics of Biology

Biology and Life

Why is water so important to life?

We are all aqueous creatures, whether because of living in a watery environment or because of the significant amount of water contained within living organisms. Therefore, all chemical reactions in living organisms take place in an aqueous environment. Water is important to all living organisms due to its unique molecular structure (H20), which is V-shaped, with hydrogen atoms at the points of the V and an oxygen atom at the apex of the V. In the covalent bond (for more about covalent bonds, see ahead in this chapter) between oxygen and hydrogen, the electrons spend more time closer to the oxygen nucleus than to the hydrogen nucleus. This uneven or unequal sharing of electrons results in a water molecule with a slightly negative pole and a slightly positive pole.



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