The Properties of Water.

Authors Avatar
The Properties of Water                                                                        Water is arguably the most important biochemical, in one way or another it is intricately involved in just about every process on this planet. It has many properties but only the following will be covered at the moment. Some of the obvious properties is that it’s a colourless, tasteless and transparent liquid but some of the chemical properties are listed below. Water is a polar molecule. Water's unique properties are largely a result of its simple composition and structure. Water is composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. As shown in the diagram, the two hydrogen atoms are smaller and they rest on both sides of the larger oxygen atom. When the hydrogen atoms combine with oxygen, they each share their single electron and form what is known as a covalent bond. Because electrons are more attracted to the positively charged oxygen atom, the hydrogen’s become slightly positively charged and the oxygen atom becomes negatively charged. This separation between negative and positive charges creates what is known as a polar molecule, meaning a molecule that has an electrical charge. Although the water molecule as
Join now!
a whole has no charge, the parts of it, the hydrogen wings and the oxygen body, do exhibit individual charges.Water acts as a solvent. More substances dissolve in water than in any other liquid, for this reason it is often called the "Universal Solvent." The reason for water's excellent ability at dissolving relates to its polarity; water offers positive and negative charges to which other atoms of molecules can attach. Note how water molecules can surround a positive sodium ion or a negative chloride ion, the common components of table salt. Water surrounds positive atoms (or the positive end of ...

This is a preview of the whole essay