जल किसी अन्य द्रव की अपेक्षा अधिक पदार्थों को घोल सकता है, क्योंकि
Read this question in English
Water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid because
(a) it is dipolar in nature · (b) it is a good conductor of heat · (c) it has high value of specific heat · (d) it is an oxide of hydrogen
उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English
Answer: (a) इसकी प्रकृति द्विध्रुवीय है
Water dissolves so many substances because its molecule is dipolar (polar): the oxygen end carries a slight negative charge and the hydrogen end a slight positive charge. These charged ends attract ions and other polar molecules and pull them apart, so they dissolve.
- ✓ (a) The two charged ends of a water molecule attract the particles of many solids, such as the ions in common salt, and separate them into the liquid.
- ✗ (b) Conducting heat well has nothing to do with dissolving. Water is in fact a poor conductor of heat compared with metals.
- ✗ (c) High specific heat means water needs a lot of heat to change its temperature. It explains slow heating and cooling, not solvent power.
- ✗ (d) Being an oxide of hydrogen only describes water's composition (H2O). Many other compounds are oxides and dissolve little or nothing.
Remember · Water is called the universal solvent because its molecule is polar (dipolar), with a positive and a negative end that pull other substances apart.
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School: Why is water the "universal solvent"? (archived copy) ↗ “Water molecules have a polar arrangement of the oxygen and hydrogen atoms—one side (hydrogen) has a positive electrical charge and the other side (oxygen) had a negative charge.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·