Question

What properties of water make it useful as a solvent? What type of compound can it dissolve and hydrolyze?

Answer 1

Hint: Water is mainly used as a solvent in the chemical industry. It is a molecule formed from those atoms of oxygen and hydrogen. Due to the polarity of nature, water is considered as a polar solvent. It can dissolve ionic compounds and a poor solvent for covalent compounds and can hydrolyze ionic compounds.

Complete answer:
Hydrogen is an element with atomic number $$1$$ and has less electronegativity value. Oxygen is the element with atomic number $$8$$ and has high electronegativity value. Both these elements combine to form a molecule called water. Water is a molecule consisting of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The molecular formula of water is $$H_{2}O$$.
Due to the difference in electronegativity, there is a movement of electrons and hence considered as polar solvent.
As like dissolves in like, ionic compounds can be able to dissolve in water. As ionic compounds easily turn into ions and dissolve in solvent like water.
The high dielectric constant and dipole movement of water are the properties of water that make it useful as a solvent. Water can dissolve ionic compounds and hydrolyze them.

Note:
Though water is a polar solvent and polar solvents are able to dissolve only polar compounds in them. But water is a poor solvent when covalent compounds dissolve in it. Some compounds like alcohols which involve covalent bonding forms hydrogen bonding with water and dissolves in water.