Which statement best explains why water is known as the universal solvent?

A) Water is vital in allowing the chemical reactions for life to occur.

B) Liquid water is a medium in which biochemical reactions can occur.

C) Water can carry unreacted substances from location to location.

D) Water has the ability to dissolve more substances than any other liquid.

Question

Aaron Jackson

Biology

6 October, 22:09

Which statement best explains why water is known as the universal solvent?

A) Water is vital in allowing the chemical reactions for life to occur.

B) Liquid water is a medium in which biochemical reactions can occur.

C) Water can carry unreacted substances from location to location.

D) Water has the ability to dissolve more substances than any other liquid.

+1

Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Tuffy · Answer 1

D) Water has the ability to dissolve more substances than any other liquid.

Just like a universal remote control can operate many different devices, a universal solvent can dissolve many different substances. Almost every liquid that we encounter on a daily basis is made up of substances dissolved in water. This is possible because of the structure of water. Water is a polar molecule. The oxygen and hydrogen share electrons, but the much larger oxygen molecules gets more of the share, giving it a positive charge. The hydrogen atoms therefore have a slight negative charge. This polar structure, with opposite sides of the molecule having opposite charges, is what allows water to interact with (and therefore dissolve) so many other molecules.