Water is considered a natural resource that is found adequately on this earth. But don’t get it wrong when we say that water is found adequately on earth so we can water it; it’s not true. Most of the water sources that we have are oceans and seas, whose water is not drinkable. Water is used for many uses such as drinking, cooking, bathing, playing, washing, irrigation and more. The chemical formula of water is H2O. It says that there are two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom combined to form one water molecule. Water can be found in three major states that are solid, liquid and gas. The solid state of the water is ice that is achieved at 0 degrees C. the liquid state of water is what we see around us. And the gaseous state of water is the water vapours that flow in our atmosphere.

Water Properties:

Some of the properties of water are given below.

It is a colourless liquid and has higher thermal conductivity. It also acts as a universal solvent and functions in intermixing things in water to form a solution. Water as a solvent is rigorously used worldwide to manufacture newer chemicals and products that use a solute and the solvent. It also forms azeotropes with other types of solvents.

The intermixing of solutes and solvents form solutions. The solvent is generally a liquid medium that dissolves the solid particles of the solute. Solutes can also be liquid. We form a saturated solution when we have dissolved the maximum amount of solute that the solvent can take. Hence the solute is at its maximum concentration in the saturated solution.

Water as a liquid solvent plays a vital role in the solubility of any solute. The concentration of a solution is the amount of solute dissolved in a particular solvent and can be determined mathematically.

Hydrated substances are substances that have water molecules in their compound structure, while the anhydrous substances are dry and do not have any water molecules in their structure. The inclusion of water molecules in the structure makes a substance hydrous.

Some of the properties of the hydrous and anhydrous substances are given below.

Hydrous substances have water molecules in their structure and are known as hydrates. Hygroscopic compounds can form hydrates by absorbing water. These compounds can release water vapour while heating and hence stores the latent heat energy.

Anhydrous substances are dry and do not have water molecules in their compound structure. They do not release water vapour on burning and hence instantly catch fire.

Hard water is considered the raw water containing many impurities that are dissolved, such as minerals, calcium, magnesium, and more. While soft water is the treated water that has only the sodium ions, and it tastes salty.

 Properties of Hard water:

• It contains minerals such as magnesium and calcium
• Sometimes it is preferred as drinking water.
• Hair and skin become dry on constant use.
• E.g., groundwater such as on handpumps.

Properties of soft water:

• It contains the sodium ions
• Not preferred as drinking water.
• It tastes salty.
• The skin and hair become soft on constant use.
• E.g., rainwater

Water is present all around us and forms a major chunk of the earth’s surface. It has various day-to-day uses that make it one of the most used and important natural resources on our planet. We can form solutions using water as a solvent that dissolves solid solutes in them. There are many sources of water on earth from where we get the hard water that contains many minerals dissolved in them. When we separate these minerals from the hard water, we get soft alkaline water.

1. What is the importance of water?
2. Water is required by every living thing and is used extensively in our lives. They are used in drinking, washing, bathing, cooking, irrigation and manufacturing processes.
3. What is the basic difference between hydrous and anhydrous substances?
4. The basic difference between these substances is the inclusion of water molecules in their molecular structure. If we have water molecules in the molecule structure, then they are hydrated; otherwise, they are anhydrous.
5. What is the molecular formula of hard water?
6. Hard water is the untreated raw water that contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium and more in it. The molecular formula for hard water is D2O.
7. What is an unsaturated solution?
8. The solution in which more solute can be dissolved is called an unsaturated solution as their concentration is still not at its peak.
9. What are the sources of water on earth?
10. The major sources of water on earth are the seas, oceans, glaciers, springs, rivers, streams, lakes, underground water and more.