Water Potential (3)

The excellent solvent properties of water are due to the highly polar character of the water molecule. The polarity of molecules can be measured by a quantity known as the dielectric constant. Water has one of the highest dielectric constant, which is as high as 78.4. The dielectric constant of benzene and hexane is 2.3 and 1.9, respectively. Water is thus an excellent solvent for charged ions or molecules, which dissolve very poorly in non-polar organic liquids. The extensive hydrogen bon