Question

Water has unusual physical properties which enable life to exist on earth.T OR F

Answer 1

Water has unusual physical properties which enable life to exist on earth - TRUE

Water plays a vital role in the generation as well as working of all the living organisms, in one word we can say, there is no living being without water.

Water has this much importance in our lives due to its properties such as cohesion, adhesion, solvency, high heat capacity, high surface tension, high heat of vaporization, and varying density. All these properties of water are based on its unique structure.

In a water molecule, the two hydrogen atoms share electrons with the more electrophilic oxygen atom. Because of the high electronegativity of oxygen, the electron pair spends most of the time towards the nucleus of the oxygen atom than the hydrogen nucleus.

Thus, in the water molecule, hydrogen atoms take partial positive charge, and oxygen atom takes partial negative charge and forms a polar covalent bond. Hence, water is a polar molecule.

The cohesive property of water molecules, they can cling to one another by hydrogen bonding. This cohesive property of water enables the water to exist in the liquid state under normal conditions of temperature, and pressure.

Because of the presence of polar covalent bonds in water, water works as a good solvent. Molecules which are miscible and soluble in water are called as hydrophilic (water-loving) molecules. Most of the polar and ionized molecules are hydrophilic in nature.. The adhesive property of water is the ability of water molecules to get attached to other polar surfaces.