Re: pinhole h2o heat capacity

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From: Karen Kalumuck (karenk@exploratorium.edu)
Date: Thu Sep 14 2000 - 13:09:20 PDT 

Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 13:09:20 -0700 (PDT)
Message-Id: <v01540b00b5e67d119bd0@[192.174.2.182]>
From: karenk@exploratorium.edu (Karen Kalumuck)
Subject: Re: pinhole h2o heat capacity

Pinholers:

Water's amazingly high specific heat is due to its hydrogen bonding
capacity. Water molecules are in constant motion, and each water molecule
can be simultaneously bonded to up to 4 other water molecules. That's alot
of hydrogen bonds! As molecular motion increases (or decreases), heat must
be absorbed to break hydrogen bonds and heat is released when hydrogen
bonds are formed. Thus, water can absorb alot of heat without changing
its own temperature as dramatically as most other substances. The specific
heat of water does not have to do with individual atoms, or even molecules,
but water molecules' interactions with other water molecules in hydrogen
bonding.

---Karen K

Karen E. Kalumuck, Ph.D.
Biologist
Exploratorium Teacher Institute
3601 Lyon St.
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-561-0313
karenk@exploratorium.edu

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