Water is often called the "universal solvent" because many substances can be dissolved in water. What property of water allows it to be such a versatile solvent?

a)The positive and negative charges on water molecules form strong attractions toward ions and other charged particles.
b)The neutral pH of pure water means there are no other molecules to interfere with the dissolving process.
c)The high specific heat capacity of water allows it to absorb large amounts of solutes with very little energy needed.
d)The low density of liquid water means there is room for solutes to fit in between the water molecules.

Water molecules have a polar arrangement of oxygen and hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen atoms have a positive charge and oxygen has a negative charge. This property allows water to be attracted to many substances. The water molecules can disrupt the attractive forces between components of a molecule and thus dissolve it.

DEMETRIANEALY82 DEMETRIANEALY82 · Answer 2 · 2019-01-16T14:29:17+01:00

1. Which of the following properties of water enables it to move from the roots to the leaves of a plant? It exhibits cohesive behavior.

2. What property of water explains why large bodies of water do not quickly fluctuate in temperature? Water has a high specific heat capacity, so it takes a lot of energy to increase its temperature.

3. Why does ice stay at the top of oceans instead of sinking to the bottom? Ice is less dense than liquid water because the molecules in ice are farther apart.

4. Water is often called the "universal solvent" because many substances can be dissolved in water. What property of water allows it to be such a versatile solvent? The positive and negative charges on water molecules form strong attractions toward ions and other charged particles.

5. Water at about 4°C (39°F) is more dense than water at 0°C (32°F). Why would the living organisms in the lake die if the water at the freezing point was denser than the water at 4°C? The freezing water would sink to the bottom and freeze the lake water from the bottom up.