Because it will dissolve so many solvent, what substance is sometimes called the universal solvent?

1 Answer
anor277
May 11, 2017

#"..........water..........."#

Explanation:

Believe it or not most materials, molecular or ionic, express some water solubility. Because of its dipolar nature, i.e. #""^(delta+)H-stackrel(-delta)O-H^(delta+)#, water is a superb solvent for many ionic species; and also for polar molecules such as alcohols and hydrogen halides. The fact that water is LIGHT and very concentrated (i.e. #>55.5*mol*L^-1#) only lends to its utility. What else? Water is cheap ( a big consideration).

The downside of using water is that it is quite persistent. It is a big deal to dry an organic solvent, or an inorganic salt, and rid it of traces of water.

Related questions
See all questions in Solvent
Impact of this question
2001 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License