In this paper I will describe the molecular structure and the chemical properties of water. Also I will discuss the importance of water to living organisms and the effects of acid rain on our environment.
             Water, as a molecule is a bent molecule and this characteristic makes it a very polar. Water is a dipole, if the polar bonds if in a straight row would cancel each other out. A dipole is a molecule that has a positive and negative end. So both the hydrogens act as one end (positive) and the oxygen the other (negative). Water has been called a universal solvent because of it polarity. This means it can easily ionize substances, Many compounds, whether ionic, polar or covalent will dissolve in it; therefore more reactions take place while in solution with water. Often in organisms substances must be in solution and water is the solvent. Plants can only obtain mineral salts in solution and human digestion will only dissolve soluble foods, meaning large starch molecules must be broken down into soluble sugars. Also many organisms living in water spend most of their time underwater, yet they require oxygen to respire, and as water is such a good solvent the required oxygen gas !
             is dissolved in the water.
             Water has interesting chemical and physical properties; it can be found naturally in all three of its states. However its molecules are bonded together by hydrogen bonds, this raises its melting and boiling points; i.e. its boiling point would be -120
             •ªC rather than 100
             •ªC. As you can see it takes almost ten times as much heat to raise the temperature of 1g of water as it would take in 1g of Iron. This has great benefits for the Earth as it keeps the planet temperatures moderated. This also effects humans and animals as if moderates our bodies (perspiration). Another physical property is water as a solid or ice. It is less dense and floats on top because it expands when it freezes. This actually is ...