Question

John wants to cook some macaroni and cheese, so he puts a pot of water on to boil. However, John notices that it is taking a long time for his water to boil. In order for water to change from a liquid to a gas, it must take on large amounts of heat. This is because

A.Water has a very high particle volume

B.Water has a low specific heat

C.It does not take a lot of energy to break the hydrogen bonds holding the water molecules together

D.Water has a high specific heat

Answer 1

Answer is D. Water has high specific heat.

1 calorie/gram °C or 4.186 joule/gram °C is the specific heat of water, which is high as compared to any other common substance. The high specific heat of water due hydrogen bonds present between water molecules. In order to increase temperature of water, this bond needs to be broken down. To break many hydrogen bonds, a larger amount of energy is required. when all the bonds are broken water is changed from liquid to gas( water vapor).