Properties of Water:
- Water is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless substance with the chemical formula H2O.
- It is the main constituent of Earth’s hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms.
- Each water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds.
- Water is a polar inorganic compound and is described as the universal solvent.
- It can dissolve many substances and exists as a solid (ice), liquid, and gas (water vapor or steam) in normal terrestrial conditions.
- Water undergoes phase transitions such as freezing, melting, vaporization, condensation, sublimation, and deposition.
- It becomes less dense as it freezes and reaches its maximum density at 3.98°C.
- Water is a diamagnetic material and can interact with superconducting magnets.
- The boiling point of water is 100°C and it freezes at 0°C.
- Water can exist in different crystal structures, including Ice Ih and Ice Ic.
- It has varying tastes and odors due to dissolved substances.
- Water is visibly blue and can be modified to green due to suspended solids or algae.
- It is a good solvent for many salts, hydrophilic organic molecules, and gases.
- Water forms hydrogen bonds with neighboring molecules, explaining its unique properties.
- The study of water includes hydrology, hydrography, hydrogeology, glaciology, and limnology.
- The water cycle involves processes like evaporation, transpiration, precipitation, and runoff.
- Water resources include lakes, groundwater, and ice, but unsustainable withdrawals can lead to depletion.
- Seawater and tides are also important aspects of water.
