The Importance of the Properties of Water to Life Amino acid -
basic structural unit of proteins possessing carboxy and amino
terminals (ends). Amphipathic - a molecule that is "water-
loving" (i.e., polar) at one end and "water-hating" (i.e.,
nonpolar) at the other end; helps hold polar and nonpolar
molecules together; characteristic of detergents and of the
phospholipid molecules in the membranes of living things Boiling
- the conversion of a liquid to a gas by heating up to the
boiling point Boiling point - the temperature at which a liquid
turns into a gas; for water, the temperature is relatively high,
100 o C. or 212 o F at sea level Capillary action - the tendency
of a liquid substance to move along the surface of solid
substance due to adhesion (as in water climbing a glass tube or
inside a tree), even in spite of gravitational or other forces
acting in the opposite direction Cohesion - the tendency of like
molecules to be attracted to one another, as occurs with polar
water molecules; such molecules f