Question

Water is called the universal solvent because:

• A. it dissolves in most of the liquids
• B. it can dissolve most of the substances
• C. it contains many salts and minerals
• D. it can exist in three states

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

it can dissolve most of the substances

Water is called the "universal solvent" because it dissolves more substances than any other liquid. This is important to every living thing on earth. It is called the Elixir of life.water is a solvent due to the polarity of each water molecule. The hydrogen side of each water (H₂O) molecule carries a slight positive electric charge, while the oxygen side carries a slight negative electric charge.

This helps water dissociate ionic compounds into their positive and negative ions. The positive part of an ionic compound is attracted to the oxygen side of water while the negative portion of the compound is attracted to the hydrogen side of the water.