The key difference between water and liquid is that water refers to a chemical compound in its liquid stage whereas liquid is a physical state of matter.
Water and Liquid are two words that are often confused as words with similar meanings. However, there is a distinct difference between water and liquid. Water is the most found compound on the surface of the Earth. It covers about 70% of the surface of the planet. The liquid is, in fact, a state of matter, the other two states being solid and gas.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Water
3. What is Liquid
4. Side by Side Comparison – Water vs Liquid in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Water?
Water is the most found compound on the surface of the Earth. We can characterize it by a melting point of 0 °C and a boiling point of 100 °C. Water has many uses. It is useful in the preparation of food, treatment of various diseases, in agriculture, irrigation, production beverages, and many other daily activities.
Figure 1: Around 70% of the Earth’s Surface is Covered with Water
Water is a chemical compound that has a combination of two hydrogen atoms and a single oxygen atom. Moreover, this compound is tasteless and odorless. Under normal conditions, it is a liquid. Also, this liquid can convert into ice (solid state of water) and steam (vapor of water) by changing the temperature.
It is interesting to note that water is available in two primary forms as heavy water and light water. Heavy water has its deuterium content higher than the average content. However, it is almost identical to normal water. In contrast, light water has low levels of deuterium.
What is Liquid?
The liquid is a state of matter that can flow. There are three states of matter: solid, liquid and gaseous state. A liquid has no defined shape; it takes the shape of the container that holds the liquid. However, it has a certain volume and a mass which in turn, gives it a density. As a matter of fact, the density of a liquid is very close to that of a solid, but it is much higher than gas. Hence, a liquid is considered a condensed matter. A liquid is also called a fluid since it is characterized by the ability to flow.
Figure 2: Colorful Liquids
Depending on the type of liquid, there are different uses. Some common uses of liquid compounds are used as lubricants, solvents, coolants and as medicine. Most of the times, solids convert into their liquid phase when we increase the temperature. But, there are some solid compounds which directly convert into a gas rather than going through a liquid phase. We call it “sublimation”.
What is the Difference Between Water and Liquid?
Water is the most found compound on the surface of the Earth. The liquid is a state of matter and has the ability to flow. Thus, the key difference between water and liquid water refers to a chemical compound in its liquid stage whereas liquid is a physical state of matter. Another significant difference between water and liquid is that the water is a colourless and odourless compound while a liquid can have a colour and odour depending on the type of liquid.
Furthermore, the melting and boiling points of water are 0 °C and 100 °C respectively. But, the melting and boiling points of a liquid depends on the type of liquid. Moreover, we can identify a further difference between water and liquid based on the usefulness. That is; the water is useful in the preparation of food, treatment of various diseases, in agriculture, irrigation, beverages and for daily purposes whereas liquids are useful as lubricants, solvents, coolants and as medicine.
Summary – Water vs Liquid
Water is a very useful compound that is in a liquid state. Liquid state refers to compounds with the “ability to flow”. The key difference between water and liquid water is a chemical compound in its liquid stage whereas liquid is a physical state of matter.
Reference:
1. Zumdahl, Steven S. “Water.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 3 Jan. 2019, Available here.
2. “Liquid.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Apr. 2019, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “water, sunset, beach, sea, ocean, seashore, island, seascape” (CC0) via Pixino
2. “650766” (CC0) via Pixabay