Question

Question 9.29 What properties of water make it useful as a solvent? What types of compound can it (i) dissolve, and (ii) hydrolyse?

Class XI Hydrogen Page 290

Answer 1

water has high dielectric constant and high dipole moment, these two properties of water which make it useful as a solvent.
(i) it can dissolve with both ionic compounds as well as those covalent compounds which can form hydrogen bonds with water like as ethyl alcohol, sugar, glucose etc.

(ii) water can hydrolyze many metallic and non- metallic oxides, hydrides, carbides, phosphide and other salts.
for example :- 
    P₄O₁₀   +   6H₂O --------> 4H₃PO₄ ⇒ hydrolysis reaction
    CaH₂   + 2H₂O ---------> Ca(OH)₂ + 2H₂ ⇒ hydrolysis reaction