Troublesome Topic: The Chemistry of Water

The Chemistry of Water

Water is very simple but at the same time it is amazing. It will dissolve more substances than anything else we know, meaning that it can be the carrier of important things like minerals and vitamins. Many common liquids (like milk) are water based. Besides being a carrier of things we need, water also makes up a very large percentage of our bodies since there is a form of water inside and outside our cells.

Water was designed to “climb” up the xylem of plants to get to the leaves. This is because it is slightly adhesive, i.e. it sticks to the sides of a tiny tube such as xylem. Some water evaporates off the leaves and “pulls” other water up behind it because water is also cohesive, meaning that it sticks to itself. In order for water to get to the top of very tall trees it is likely that both actions, climbing on its own, and being pulled by the evaporation from the leaves, are needed. In this we once again see the wisdom of the Creator.

Unlike all other substances, water stops contracting just before it gets to the freezing point and expands rapidly so that when it does turn into ice, it is less dense than the water around it and it floats. If frozen water did not float, it would sink to the bottom and accumulate on the bottom where it would likely never melt. Over time the ice would get thicker and thicker and basically fill any body of water with ice, except for a small layer on the top that could be melted by the sun. This would mean that, instead of protecting fish from the freezing temperatures of the air in wintertime, the ice would likely kill all the fish.

In the water cycle, water evaporates into the air, but it is still molecules of H₂O. It begins to coalesce around a particle of dust or contamination, but it still hangs in the air, seeming to defy gravity. These droplets form into clouds. Some of these clouds become so large and dense that light does not penetrate from the top to the bottom of the cloud, making the cloud look dark and ominous from below. Yet even at this point the water droplets are still held aloft, despite the fact that water is heavy (one gallon of water weights about 8 Lbs). We are told that the clouds are held aloft by rising wind currents that keep them up their longer than otherwise possible. I wonder if it is more than just wind.

But finally the water droplets stick to each other enough times and get large enough that they yield to the force of gravity and start to fall as rain drops. But even here we see the thoughtful mind and caring hand of God. Water falls as drops, not in huge masses of water that would crush almost anything it might strike (Henry Morris, Studies in the Bible and Science, p. 27). Image if water fell from the sky one swimming pool’s worth at a time, several feet deep and many feet wide and long. Or what if there were no rain at all. There is no other conclusion except to say that the chemistry and physics which make the water cycle possible are a marvel of intricate design.

There are many ways in which water is amazing!

The next lesson is: The Power of the Spoken Word