2.2.4 Cohesive and Adhesive Properties
Importance of Water's Adhesion
Attraction to charged or polar surfaces (e.g. plastic) allows water to flow in opposition of gravitational forces (capillary action) like in a straw. And then: This capillary action is necessary to allow water to be transported up plant stems via a transpiration stream.
Why is water Adhesive ?
Because it will form intermolecular associations with polar and charged molecules.
Why is water cohesive ?
It's strongly cohesive as it will form hydrogen bonds
Adhesion
ability of dissimilar molecules to stick together
Importance of Water's cohesion
it creates its surface tension: -hydrogen bonding between water molecules allows the liquid to resist low levels of external force (surface tension) Which means that: high surface tension of water makes it sufficiently dense for certain smaller organisms to move along its surface.
Cohesion
the ability of like molecules to stick together