Water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid because

Answer: A. Water is the universal solvent because it is DIPOLAR IN NATURE. WATER (H2O) has a BENT MOLECULAR SHAPE (~104.5° between the two O-H bonds). The oxygen atom is more electronegative than the hydrogen atoms, pulling shared electrons toward itself. This produces: - Partial NEGATIVE charge (δ-) on the oxygen end. - Partial POSITIVE charges (δ+) on each hydrogen end. This makes water a STRONGLY POLAR (DIPOLAR) molecule with a high dipole moment (1.85 Debye). WHY POLARITY MAKES WATER AN EXCELLENT SOLVENT: - IONIC COMPOUNDS (NaCl, KCl etc.) dissolve because water's δ- oxygen surrounds positive cations (Na+, K+), and water's δ+ hydrogens surround negative anions (Cl-, Br-). This 'hydration shell' overcomes lattice energy and pulls ions into solution. - POLAR MOLECULES (sugars, alcohols, amino acids) dissolve via HYDROGEN BONDING with water. - The principle 'LIKE DISSOLVES LIKE' — polar solvents dissolve polar/ionic solutes; non-polar solvents (oil, hexane) dissolve non-polar solutes. This dipolar nature is why water is called the UNIVERSAL SOLVENT. Why other options are WRONG: (B) Good conductor of heat — water's thermal conductivity is moderate. Heat conduction is unrelated to solvating power. (C) High specific heat — explains why water moderates climate and stores heat, but is NOT the cause of its solvent power. (D) 'It is an oxide of hydrogen' — true compositionally, but oxides of many other elements (SiO2 sand, Al2O3) do NOT dissolve substances readily. The KEY is POLARITY, not the chemical category. Source: NCERT Class 11 Chemistry 'Some p-Block Elements' / Class 9 Science 'Matter Around Us'.