As Biology Revision

Inorganic Ions
Magnesium: Important constituent of chlorophyll, found in bone and teeth. Iron: Iron is found in haemoglobin which transports oxygen around the body. Phosphate: Found in phospholipid component of cell membrane. Calcium: Main component in bones and teeth. Role in muscle contraction , blood clotting.

Water
Water is essential, all reactions of life rely on water and key elements are found in aqueous solution. Water is polar molecule: has an uneven distribution of charge, slightly positive and slightly negative . This allows water to stick together by forming hydrogen bonds with other water molecule . This is called cohesion. Water is a universal solvent: Polar and ionic molecules will dissolve in water due to the slightly positive and negative charge of oxygen and hydrogen. Water as metabolite and transport medium: In cell reactions water is either used up or produced. In photosynthesis water is used up , in respiration water is produced. Water is used as transport medium both inside and outside of the cell. Water has high specific heat capacity: this means it takes a lot of energy to warm water up. Equally water needs to lose a lot of heat to cool down. This helps mammals maintain stable internal temperature. Sweeting converts water to gas. Because water has high specific heat capacity this takes mass amount of energy which in turn cools down the body as heat is lost. Density : Solid form of water ice is less dense than liquid water. This mean ice floats on the surface of lake or pounds. This creates an insulting environment for the living organism below which allows them to survive. Cohesion and surface tensions: At air/water interface of ponds, cohesion between water molecules creates surface tension, acts like skin that covers water allowing insects to float on top of it. This due to cohesion of water which means long columns of water molecules dont break. This is due to water molecules sticking together through hydrogen bonds