Use Of Water

Use Of Water

Fresh water is widely used for our day to day domestic activities, for power generation, irrigation and many industrial activities.

About 8% of the water is used for domestic purpose like cooking, washing, cleaning, flushing etc.

About 22% of fresh water is used in industries.

• Water is used in chemical laboratories because of its solvent property. Many reactions are carried out in the laboratory in aqueous solutions. Many organic compounds do not dissolve in water; hence water is used for solvent extraction process to separate organic and inorganic compounds. It is also used in the manufacture of hydrogen, oxygen, acids, alkalis, salts, water etc
• Pharmaceutical industries also use water extensively.
• Water in the form of steam is used for the generation of electricity.
• Water is used in cooling systems due to its high specific heat capacity.
• About 70% of the fresh water is used for irrigation.
• Water acts as a medium for the transportation of mineral nutrients through soil in plants.
• Fertilizers and insecticides dissolve in water and they are sprayed on plants in the form of solutions in required concentrations.
• Saline water is used as a major source for the production of common salt. It is also used for the production of magnesia (MgO) which is used in refractoriness.

All these uses make water as the most essential chemical substance. The constituent elements of water namely oxygen and hydrogen also have equal significance in various fields.