Water has some really unique properties, which is what makes it one of the most valuable substances on earth. Water is the only substance that can be found in liquid, solid and gas form.
The hydrogen bond between water molecules gives water two of its most unique properties: cohesion and adhesion. Cohesion is what makes water sticks to itself very easily, and adhesion is what causes it to stick well to other things.
When water comes into contact with certain surfaces like glass, the adhesive forces are stronger than the cohesive forces, which makes it spread out in a thin film instead of sticking together in a ball.
The molecules on the surface of water are not surrounded by similar molecules on all sides but are rather prone to being pulled only by cohesion from other molecules deep inside, which creates a high level of surface tension. Because these molecules cohere to each other so strongly yet adhere to other mediums weakly, the surface tension in the water will cause round beads on surfaces like waxed cars or leaves. Surface tension is also the reason for capillary action, which is when plants suck up water.
The hydrogen bonds in water are what allow it to form a solid, ice, which can float on its liquid form because it is less dense than water. Water molecules form crystalline structures at freezing point, which is what makes it less dense; these same hydrogen bonds are linked to water’s thermal properties. Water has a very high specific heat capacity; it takes 4.2 joules per gram of water to raise the temperature of water by just one degree Celsius.
The reason that oceans take such a long time to heat up is due to its high heat of vaporisation, and this is about the only thing that is helping climate change take so long at the moment. Without this our oceans would have become much hotter much quicker, and we would already be suffering far more water shortages that we currently are.
Finally, water is known as the universal solvent, which means that many hydrophilic substances dissolve in it; these are substances which are as strong as or stronger than water’s cohesive forces, and include substances such as salt and sugar. Substances that do not dissolve in water, such as oil, are hydrophobic.
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