Since you've asked the question under 'Biology' rather than physics or chemistry, im gonna answer this from a different angle.
See, the problem is we get stuck bigtime, when we try to explain or understand biological /natural substances in terms of the underlying chemical constituents
For example, do you think any of the chemical elements that make up honey is gonna taste sweet ? any of the chemical elements of a flower smell good ? ... You get the idea right
Ultimately, we may extend your question to THIS question - how can a bunch of lame chemical elements like oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen "result" in this wonderful breathing thinking Human Body
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btw, speaking in terms of atomic chemistry (?) - even though there are two H atoms and only one O atom - the mass-fraction abundance of oxygen in water is about 89%, because that is the fraction of water's mass which is oxygen.
2007-03-16 03:08:21
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answer #1
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answered by rEdshiFt 2
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See, they are not talking about Oxygen or Hydrogen by themselves. They are talking about O2 and H2, which are the gaseous forms of the elements. Lots of elements change properties when they are combined. When O and H combine, they are no longer gases at room temperature, but liquid. The reason is because O is a bit negative and the two Hs are a bit positive. A molecule of H20 is V-shaped, with O on the bottom and HH on top. So the bottom is partially negative and the top is partially positive. This allows water atoms to attract each other and bond a little bit. That's why water is the way it is.
(An example of another material that is nothing like it's elements is salt, NaCl. Na is very flammable, and Cl is poisonous to humans. But together, they form an important salt.)
2007-03-14 18:09:22
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answer #2
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answered by retzy 4
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Because water is not simply a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gas. When you start making bonds you drastically change the properties and reactivity of compounds. Actually you dont even have to make bonds to see a difference. For example there is a big difference between Na metal (which is uncharged) and Na+. Na metal is a silverish solid that reacts violently with water and Na+ is part of regular table salt which is obviously not a silver solid and does not react with water.
2007-03-14 18:07:55
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answer #3
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answered by anon 4
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Water is a chemical compound.
According to chemistry, a compound is a substance which has properties entirely different from constituent elements.
So, water has properties different from hydrogen and oxygen.
Both the elements undergo an exothermic reaction and form a covalent bond.
Water exists in liquid state at room temperature due to intermolecular hydrogen bonding.
2007-03-15 21:37:07
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answer #4
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answered by $ri 3
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A water molecule can form a maximum of four hydrogen bonds because it can accept two and donate two hydrogens. Other molecules like hydrogen fluoride, ammonia, methanol form hydrogen bonds but they do not show anomalous behaviour of thermodynamic, kinetic or structural properties like those observed in water. The answer to the apparent difference between water and other hydrogen bonding liquids lies in the fact that apart from water none of the hydrogen bonding molecules can form four hydrogen bonds either due to an inability to donate/accept hydrogens or due to steric effects in bulky residues. In water local tetrahedral order due to the four hydrogen bonds gives rise to an open structure and a 3-dimensional bonding network, which exists in contrast to the closely packed structures of simple liquids. There is a great similarity between water and silica in their anomalous behaviour, even though one (water) is a liquid which has a hydrogen bonding network while the other (silica) has a covalent network with a very high melting point. One reason that water is well suited, and chosen, by life-forms, is that it exhibits its unique properties over a temperature regime that suits diverse biological processes, including hydration.
It is believed that hydrogen bond in water is largely due to electrostatic forces and some amount of covalency. The partial covalent nature of hydrogen bond predicted by Linus Pauling in 1930s is yet to be proven unambiguously by experiments and theoretical calculations.
2007-03-14 18:09:47
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answer #5
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answered by sanyog Kesar 4
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Two very different chemicals or elements, such as hydrogen and oxygen, may form a covalent bond producing a water molecule. There is a branched covalent bond which makes it nonpolar, helping put out fires.
2007-03-14 18:06:58
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answer #6
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answered by :] pinky 2
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When one comes out of chemistry,this silly question has a silly answer as well,(excuse for using this kind of language).When hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water,it loses energy,and is always in a mode to receive energy.So simple it prevents fire.When we heat food and it starts burning,we simply add some water to transfer the heat to the water.O.K.
2007-03-15 13:17:22
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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The properties of elements are due to their electron configuration. Hydrogen has a single electron. Oxygen has six electrons in its outer shell.
When 2H and O combine covalently, the electrons are shared, and each atom of a molecule of H2O has a full outer shell (each H has 2 outer shell electrons because it is sharing one of O's; and each O has 8 outer shell electrons because it is sharing one from each H).
Atoms with filled outer shells (like those in H2O) tend to be nonreactive.
2007-03-14 20:41:54
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answer #8
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answered by Surely Funke 6
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yes ure true...but the formation of water molecule does releases enormous enery this reaction cannot be carried out simply beause the truth is they do burn while reacting and they burn heavily..the temperature realesed during formation makes them form a covalent bond and thus they release the energy after bonding..thaths why they cool off and form water molecule
2007-03-14 18:25:59
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answer #9
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answered by Krits 2
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oxygen creates fire and hydrogen extinguishes fire in this case 2h20 is the forumla so it contains four atoms of hydrogen and this will result the oxygen to put up and thats why it extinguishes the fire
2007-03-15 01:31:15
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answer #10
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answered by rajeshwaran j 2
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