UPSC Prelims 2021 Question:

Water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid because

Explanation: 

• Water is called the "universal solvent" because it is capable of dissolving more substances than any other liquid. It is water's chemical composition and physical attributes that make it such an excellent solvent.
  
  
• Water molecules (H2O) have a polar arrangement of oxygen and hydrogen atoms—one side (hydrogen) has a positive electrical charge and the other side (oxygen) has a negative charge. This allows the water molecule to become attracted to many other different types of molecules.
  
  
• Water can become so heavily attracted to a different compound, like salt (NaCl), that it can disrupt the attractive forces that hold the sodium and chloride in the salt compound together and, thus, dissolve it.
  
  

Therefore, option (1) is the correct answer.

Subject: Science & Technology | Miscellaneous(s&t