Water is a unique substance. It is prevalent everywhere on our planet. Try to imagine what our life would be like without the H2O molecule? And there is nothing to imagine - there would be no life on our planet. Man is 70% water. The younger the body, the more it contains, and with age this amount decreases. For example, take the embryo - in it the percentage of H2O is 90%.
In the article, we suggest that you highlight all the functions of water in the cell and consider each in detail. It is important to mention that it is contained in two forms: free and connected. We will face this a bit later.
Water
Everyone himself knows that water plays a very important, or rather, a key role in our life. Without it, our planet would be a dead, lifeless desert. Scientists to this day are studying water and its role in the human body.
We have already said that water is found in our cells in a free and bound form. The first serves to spread substances - to transfer them into and out of the cell. And the latter is observed:
- between fibers;
- membranes;
- protein molecules;
- cell structures.
Both free and bound water in the cell necessarily performs some functions, which we will discuss later. And now a few words about how the H2O molecule is organized.
Molecule
To begin with, we denote the molecular formula of water: H2O. This is a very common substance on the planet, and you should remember it, because the molecular formula of water is found quite often in different fields of knowledge. By the way, it is found in all human organs, even in tooth enamel and bones, however, there its percentage is very small - 10% and 20%, respectively.
As we have said, the younger the body, the more water in it. Scientists have suggested that we age because protein cannot bind large amounts of water. But this, however, is only a hypothesis.
Functions
Now let us single out the functions of water in the cell; a greater number of them is clear from the list below:
- H2O can act as a solvent, since almost all chemical reactions - ionic - occur in water. It should be noted that there are hydrophilic substances (which dissolve, for example, alcohol, sugar, amino acids, and so on), but hydrophobic (fatty acids, cellulose, and others) are also found.
- Water may act as a reagent.
- It performs transport, temperature control and structural functions.
We suggest that you consider each of them separately. Let's go in order, the first on our list is the solvent function.
Solvent
The functions of water in the cell are numerous, but one of the most important is the help in the course of many reactions. The H2O molecule can act as a solvent. Almost all reactions that take place in the cell are ionic, that is, the medium in which they can take place is water.
Reagent
The following functions of water in the cell are its participation in chemical reactions that take place in the body as a reagent. These include:
- hydrolysis;
- polymerization;
- photosynthesis and so on.
Now a little about what a reagent is. In chemistry, this is the name of a substance involved in certain chemical reactions. The most important thing is that although it is involved in the reaction, it is not the object of processing. Reagents in the laboratory (they are also called reagents) - this is a fairly common phenomenon.
Water, as a reagent, is involved in the preparation of other substances necessary for the body.
Transport function
Why do we live? Our body exists only because the cells of which it consists are alive. And they should thank their unique structure and some features of the H2O molecule. We already mentioned that water is an integral part of our body, and each cell contains these unique molecules, or rather, is in the first place in its composition.
The transport function of water in the cell is another purpose of H2O in our body. Water has some peculiarity - penetration into the intercellular space, due to this, nutrients enter the cell.
It is also worth knowing that blood and lymph also contains water, and its lack leads to some consequences: hemorrhages or thrombosis.
Thermoregulation
What functions of water in the cell have not yet been analyzed? Of course, thermoregulation. We said that water can absorb heat and retain it for a long time. Thus, H2O can protect the cell from hypothermia or overheating. The function of thermoregulation is needed not only for individual cells, but also for the whole organism as a whole.
Structural function
What are the functions of water in the cell, we have already listed, it remains to disassemble another purpose - is to maintain the structure of cells.
Have you ever tried to compress water in a liquid state? Even in laboratory conditions this is extremely difficult to achieve. This property of water is necessary in order to maintain the shape and structure of each cell.
Remember forever: life is impossible without water. We are thirsty when the body loses about 3% of the water, and with a loss of 20%, the cells die, and, consequently, the person too. Keep track of how much water you drink.