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A-Level Biology OCR A

Water Molecules Energy Ice 4*C Hydrogen Bonds Liquid

Ice floats because below 4°C, water molecules form a stable lattice structure due to hydrogen bonding, increasing the space between them and decreasing density.

Ice floats because as water cools below 4°C, hydrogen bonds form more frequently, creating a more ordered lattice structure where molecules are further apart, making ice less dense than liquid water.

Front Why does ice float in water?
Back Why ice floats:
  • As water cools down, the kinetic energy the molecules have gets reduced - they move less and therefore take up less space
  • Above 4*C, interactions between molecules are short, hydrogen bonds keep forming and breaking quickly
  • Below 4*C, the energy of water molecules falls below the energy of hydrogen bonds - they form much more frequently than they break
  • This causes a lattice to be formed where the molecules are more spread out than in liquid water - less dense than disordered liquid water therefore it floats

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