Water is often called the "universal solvent."Courtesy of Kelly A. Quin.

Water is a chemical compound composed of a single oxygen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms (H2O) that are separated by an angle of 105°. Because of their polar covalent bonds and this asymmetrical bent arrangement, water molecules have a tendency to orient themselves in an electric field, with the positively charged hydrogen toward the negative pole and the negatively charged oxygen toward the positive pole. This tendency results in water having a large dielectric constant, which is responsible for making water an excellent solvent. Water is therefore referred to as the universal solvent. Water can be reused indefinitely as a solvent because it undergoes almost no modification in the process.

Because mineral salts and organic materials can dissolve in water, it is the ideal medium for transporting products of geochemical weathering as well as life-sustaining...