Water | Biology for GCSE/IGCSE - Year 11 PDF Download

Water as a Solvent

• Water holds immense significance for all living organisms due to its role as a universal solvent, capable of dissolving numerous substances.
• Its solvent properties render it indispensable and vital for sustaining life on our planet.
• Water serves as a crucial solvent in various physiological processes within organisms:
  • Facilitates the transportation of dissolved substances throughout organisms, such as in the xylem and phloem of plants, and the carriage of dissolved food molecules in the bloodstream.
  • Essential for the distribution of digested food molecules from the alimentary canal to cells throughout the body; without water as a solvent, this transport would be hindered.
  • Enables the elimination of toxic substances like urea and excess salts from the body through urine, as they readily dissolve in water.
  • Forms a vital component of the cytoplasm, contributing to metabolic reactions and ensuring cellular functions occur optimally.