Why is water said to have a high specific heat capacity?

Answer 1

In simple words, water has high heat capacity because it has a lower molar mass, and specific heat is inverse to a substance's mass. Another reason for high specific heat is its strong hydrogen bonding.

Answer 2

Water's high heat capacity is a property caused by hydrogen bonding among water molecules. When heat is absorbed, hydrogen bonds are broken and water molecules can move freely. When the temperature of water decreases, the hydrogen bonds are formed and release a considerable amount of energy.

Answer 3

First, we need to know a little bit about water. Water is a polar molecule because oxygen bears partial negative charge and hydrogen bears partial positive charge. This results in extensive hydrogen bonding in water molecules between slightly negative oxygens and slightly positive hydrogens. Second, we need to remember that temperature is another way of saying the average kinetic energy of particles - the higher the temperature, the faster they move, in the case of gases and liquids, or vibrate, in the case of solids. Third, heat capacity is the ability of matter to absorb thermal energy. One calorie is defined as the amount required to heat a gram of water one degree Centigrade. That same calorie will heat a gram of gold 33 degrees.

Water's specific heat is defined as 1. The specific heat of gold is therefore .03. Water has a high specific heat because there are quite a few ways water can store heat. 1. Moving along three axes 2. Rotating the "V" shaped molecule in three different directions 3. Hydrogen atoms vibrating back and forth like a tuning fork 4. Hydrogen atoms vibrating up and down along their H-O axis.

Finally, the heat of fusion of water is 80 calories per gram, and the heat of vaporization for water is 540 calories. So ice can absorb 80 times as much heat while melting as the same mass of water. Water absorbs 540 times as much heat while turning into water vapor as the same mass of water absorbs. Both phase changes occur at constant temperature, 0 Centigrade and 100 Centigrade respectively. Look up phase change graph for water to see the interesting line.

Answer 4

Water has high specific heat capacity because of its high latent heat of vaporization and large enthalpy of fusion. Latent heat of vaporization is the heat that changes the state of a substance from liquid to gas. For example when water is boiled, the heat is given off to vaporize the water. Enthalpy of fusion is the amount of heat required to convert a substance from solid to liquid. For example when ice is heated, the heat required to melt the ice is released. So water gives off large amount of heat when it changes from solid to liquid and vice versa. This property of water is used in cooling system. When water is cooled, it takes in a large amount of heat. This heat is later released when the same water is heated up to produce steam. So it takes less energy to keep water at a desired temperature than any other substance.

Answer 5

Water has a high specific heat capacity because it requires a lot of energy to raise its temperature. Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a substance by 1 degree Celsius (or 1 Kelvin). Water has a high specific heat capacity because the molecules in water are held together by strong hydrogen bonds, which require a lot of energy to break. As a result, it takes a lot of energy to raise the temperature of water, and it can absorb or release a large amount of heat without undergoing a significant change in temperature.

This property of water makes it an excellent heat sink, which means it can absorb and dissipate heat very efficiently. This is why water is often used as a coolant in various types of cooling systems, such as in car radiators and air conditioners. The high specific heat capacity of water also makes it an important factor in the regulation of temperature in living organisms and in the Earth's climate.

Answer 6

It requires a high quantity of heat to raise its temperature by each degree.