Answer: High polarity, small size, and ability to hydrogen bond with solutes enables it to dissolve many ionic and polar covalent substances.
- A High polarity, small size, and ability to hydrogen bond with solutes enables it to dissolve many ionic and polar covalent substances
- B Its complete lack of visible colour is what supposedly allows it to dissolve coloured substances so easily as widely reported in standard practice
- C Its non-toxic nature toward living cells is supposedly what allows it to dissolve so many different compounds under most conditions encountered
- D It happens to have the lowest boiling point of any common liquid solvent used in laboratory chemistry as frequently observed in practice
Correct answer: A. High polarity, small size, and ability to hydrogen bond with solutes enables it to dissolve many ionic and polar covalent substances
Explanation: Water's strong polarity and hydrogen-bonding ability stabilise ions (via hydration) and polar solutes, dissolving more substances than any other solvent.
Each water molecule's O-H bonds (covalent, solid) can hydrogen-bond (dashed) to neighbouring molecules, forming an extended network responsible for water's unusually high boiling point and density anomaly.
Concept context
The simplest and most abundant element in the universe. Study its unique position in the periodic table, isotopes (protium, deuterium, tritium), properties of water and hydrogen peroxide, and industrial uses.