why is water wet? what characteristics give it the ability to take on all three states of matter?

Answer 1

Water is "wet" because it has a high attraction to other materials. This attraction is due to the polar-covalent bonds found in the water molecules. These bonds help water attract ionic and polar-covalent materials (which happen to be very common). Mercury is a metal that is a liquid at room temperature, but mercury is not "wet" like water. Mercury does not have polar-covalent bonds and will attract only other mercury atoms. That is why mercury forms drops which will attract each other and make bigger drops. In the old days we used to play with mercury and watch this happen.

To be more specific with your second question - water takes on all three states of matter within a small range of temperature. Other things also can exist as a solid, liquid, or gas - but require more extreme temperatures.

The polar-covalent bonds in the water molecule allow it to remain in the liquid state at higher temperatures than would normally be expected. These bonds for "hydrogen bonds" between different water molecules and help hold all the water molecules in the liquid form when other materials of the same mass would have evaporated. These same hydrogen bonds are what causes water to expand when it freezes.

Answer 2

water is wet because it is a liquid at room temperature.

all substances can exist in all 3 states at certain temperatures and pressures.

Answer 3

Water is wet because of "Hydrogen bonding"

Answer 4

gas is less dense than liquids which are less dense than solids also, gasses have lower boiling points, and lower freezes points, and also lower melting points than liquids or solids liquids have lower boiling points, freezing points, and melting points than solids but not also, the molecules in gases are farther apart than in liquids, liquid molecules are farther apart than solids, gasses are less dense than liquids liquids are less dense than solids are you starting to see a pattern?