Question

Part A:

Identify a property of water that contributes its movement through the capillary tubes. Explain how the
molecular structure of water contributes to this property.
Plants use a similar mechanism to move water through their stems. In a specific species of plant, the
vessels are approximately 0.3 mm in diameter.
Part B:
Estimate how tall this species of plant can grow. Explain how the molecular structure of the vessels can
be modified to increase the maximum height of the plant without changing the diameter of the vessels.

Answer 1

Part A

i) A property of water that contributes to its movement through capillary tubes is adhesion, which is the capacity of water to stick to other surfaces

ii) Water has a polar molecular structure as such the hydrogen present in the water molecules form bonds with the oxygen present in the silicon oxide molecules from which the capillary tube is normally made

Part B.

i) From the given graph, the function appears to have a vertical asymptote at x = 0, therefore, the plant can grow infinitely tall

ii) The molecular structure of the vessel can be modified such that the walls incorporate more oxygen molecules per mole which will increase the number and the strength of the hydrogen bond between the water molecules and the walls of the plant vessel and therefore, increase the capillary action, the water height and the maximum height of the tree

Step-by-step explanation: