ABSTRACT

Water possesses a number of special characteristics that make this molecule unique, mainly its ability to form hydrogen bonds. Figure 11.1 illustrates the water molecule.

As oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen, the hydrogen atoms are

left with a partial positive charge (d+) and the oxygen atom attains a partial negative charge (d-). This phenomenon results in the production of a dipole moment. The water molecules can aggregate and form bonds that are called hydrogen bonds (see Fig. 11.1). It is these hydrogen bonds that make water unique when compared with other dihydrides in the same group (e.g. H2S), as they are gases at room temperature.