Final answer:
Water's ability to form hydrogen bonds is a special property that leads to its cohesion, high specific heat, and role as a solvent. Its adhesion enables capillary action, vital for plant life, and its acid-base properties help maintain pH balance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Special Properties of Water
Water is essential to life, largely due to its unique properties. One special property of water is its ability to form hydrogen bonds between water molecules. This property explains phenomena such as water's cohesion, where water molecules stick together, allowing for the formation of droplets. It is also vital for water's high specific heat and heat of vaporization, contributing to its ability to moderate temperatures in organisms and environments.
Another significant property is water's adhesion, which is its capability to bond to other substances through hydrogen bonding. This process is critical for capillary action, allowing water to move through the narrow vessels of plants and against the force of gravity. Additionally, water's status as a powerful solvent comes from its polarity and ability to create electrostatic interactions with ions and polar covalent molecules, thus facilitating a myriad of chemical reactions necessary for life.
The acid-base properties of water also contribute to its functionality in biological systems. Water can act as either an acid or a base, allowing it to interact with various substances and play a crucial role in maintaining pH balance. These remarkable characteristics of water illustrate why it is indispensable to life on Earth.