9.29 What properties of water make it useful as a solvent? What types of a compound can it (i) dissolve, and (ii) hydrolyze?
Water has high dielectric constant () and dipole moment which makes it universal solvent. It dissolves the most ionic as well as covalent compounds. [ionic compound because of ion-dipole interaction and covalent due to their tendency to form a hydrogen bond with water.] Water is also able to hydrolyze the metallic and non-metallic oxides, hydrides and nitrides, etc.