Water Potential (2)

The extensive hydrogen bonding between water molecules results in water having both a high specific heat capacity and a high latent heat of vaporization. Because of its highly ordered structure, liquid water also has a high thermal conductivity. This means that it rapidly conducts heat away from the point of application. The combination of high specific heat and thermal conductivity enables water to absorb and redistribute large amounts of heat energy without correspondingly large increases in temperature. The heat of biochemical reactions may be quickly dissipated throughout the cell. Compared with other liquids, water requires a relatively large heat input to raise its temperature. This is important for plants, because it helps buffer temperature fluctuations. The latent heat of vaporization decreases as temperature increases, reaching a minimum at the boiling point (100°C). For water at 25°C, the heat of vaporization is 44kJ mol-1 – the highest value known for any liquid.