2007-02-07 04:33:06 · 2 answers · asked by chaunceyd06 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
To begin, a solvent must be either chemically similar, or, complementary, in solvating (dissolving) a substance.
One reason water is the universal solvent is that it has characteristics of both an acid and a base.
Another reason is that water has a region of high electronegativity (the oxygen atom) and electropositivity (the two hydrogens). This accounts for the so called "hydrogen bonding".
The substances that are important to biochemical reactions are the substances water solvates well (except in the case of cholesterol, which must be insoluble to be effective, and is so because it happens to differ from everything else).
2007-02-07 04:50:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Polar and can dissolve many substances.
2007-02-07 12:53:12 · answer #2 · answered by ag_iitkgp 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋