Question

What might happen if water molecules did not have a slight negative charge on one end and a slight positive charge on the other?

Answer 1

If water molecules did not have a slight negative charge on one end and a slight positive charge on the other, several important properties of water would be affected. These properties include the ability of water to form hydrogen bonds, its high boiling point, high surface tension, and its ability to dissolve substances. The polar nature of water molecules is essential for many of the unique properties and functions of water in biological systems and the environment.

Step-by-step explanation:

If water molecules did not have a slight negative charge on one end and a slight positive charge on the other, several important properties of water would be affected. One of these properties is the ability of water molecules to form hydrogen bonds with each other. These hydrogen bonds allow water to have a high boiling point, high surface tension, and the ability to dissolve many substances. Without the polar nature of water molecules, these properties would be significantly altered.

For example, if water molecules were not polar, they would not be able to form hydrogen bonds, which are responsible for water's high boiling point. This means that water would evaporate more easily and at lower temperatures, making it difficult for organisms to survive in aquatic environments. Additionally, water's ability to dissolve other substances, such as salts and nutrients, would be reduced or eliminated altogether.

Answer 2

It would not be possible the cohesion among water molecules by the polar covalent bonding.

Well, to understand this in a better way, let's begin by explaining that water is special due to its properties, which makes this fluid useful for many purposes and for the existence of life.

In this sense, one of the main properties of water is cohesion (molecular cohesion), which is the attraction of molecules to others of the same type. So, water molecule (
`H_(2)O`) has 2 hydrogen atoms attached to 1 oxygen atom and can stick to itself through hydrogen bonds.

How is this possible?

By the polar covalent bonding, a process in which electrons are shared unequally between atoms, due to the unequal distribution of electrons between atoms of different elements. In other words: slightly positive and slightly negative charges appear in different parts of the molecule.

Now, it can be said that a water molecule has a negative side (oxygen) and a positive side (hydrogen). This is how the oxygen atom tends to monopolize more electrons and keeps them away from hydrogen. Thanks to this polarity, water molecules can stick together.