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Water: Structure, Properties, and Chemical Roles

Chemistry Grade 8 Difficulty 2/5

Beginning of the lesson

Water molecule polarity, a correct hydrogen bond, an open ice structure, and hydration of sodium and chloride ions
Water is polar: intermolecular hydrogen bonding helps explain the structure of ice, while molecular orientation stabilizes dissolved ions.

Water as a molecular substance

A water molecule, H2O, contains two polar O-H covalent bonds. Because the molecule is bent, with an H-O-H angle of about 104.5 degrees, the bond dipoles do not cancel. Oxygen carries a partial negative charge (delta minus), while the hydrogen atoms carry partial positive charges (delta plus). Water is therefore a polar molecular substance.

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  • Test questions: 15
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