What properties of water make it a unique material and an essential component of living matter? Water is so common that it is easy to overlook the fact that it is an exceptional substance with many amazing qualities. With its properties, we can trace water’s unique behavior to the structure and interactions of its molecules. Water is constructed of two hydrogen (H) and one oxygen (O). The hydrogen become + charged and the oxygen maintains …showed first 75 words of 413 total…

…showed last 75 words of 413 total…attracts it to charged and polar substances. When water molecules surround ions or polar substances, they dissolve and are called solutes. Hydrophilic substances have an affinity for water. Hydrophobic substances do not. One of its most important properties is its ability to dissolve many other substances. The versatility of water as a solvent is essential to living organisms. Water has many properties that make it a unique material and an essential component of living matter.