Which statement about water's chemical properties is true?

• A. Water is highly polar and acts as a universal solvent, dissolving salts and bonding to polar substances.
• B. Water is nonpolar and cannot dissolve salts.
• C. Water has a pH of 1.
• D. Water molecules form no bonds with each other.

Answer: (A)

Water’s dissolving ability comes from its polarity. The molecule has partial negative charge near the oxygen and partial positive charges near the hydrogens, so it is highly polar. This polarity lets water surround and stabilize ions and other polar molecules, breaking apart salts like table salt into their constituent ions and forming hydration shells around them. That makes water an excellent solvent for many substances and allows it to bond to polar substances as well.

So the statement that best fits is that water is highly polar and acts as a universal solvent, dissolving salts and bonding to polar substances.

The other options don’t fit: water isn’t nonpolar, and it can dissolve salts due to its polarity; pure water at room temperature isn’t pH 1 (it’s about neutral, around 7); and water molecules do form hydrogen bonds with each other rather than none.