Structure

General facts

Water is a molecule made up of one oxygen atom, and two hydrogen atoms. These atoms share a covalent bond, which means that they share atoms with each other. The molecule has a bent shape, meaning that the two hydrogen atoms are non-collinear. A water molecule has a hexagonal crystal structure.

Water as a solvent

Water is a polar molecule. This means that the atoms are both partially positive and negative. Furthermore, water is a covalent bond, which means that the oxygen atom and the hydrogen atoms share electrons. Due to this bonding, the oxygen is partially negative due to its mass. On the other hand, the hydrogen is partially positive. This happens due to the covalent bonding, and the mass of the atoms. Since the oxygen atom has more mass, the electrons will "hang around" more with the oxygen. Due to this, the oxygen partially negative, while leaving the hydrogen partially positive.

When something dissolves in water we call it a solute, and since water is the thing that dissolves this, we refer to it as a solvent. Since water is a polar molecule, something that either has a charge or is polar can be dissolved in water. For example, Sodium Chloride will be dissolved in water. Sodium Chloride is an ionic bond, where sodium is positive while Chlorine is negative. Since water is a covalent bond, the hydrogen atoms will be attracted to the Chlorine when it dissolves. The hydrogen atoms will still be in the water molecule. Same thing would happen with Sodium and Oxygen. These solutes that dissolve in water are called hydrophilic.

Bibliography

K. (2015, July 01). Retrieved October 22, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCvBp73ZJ-A