Water\'s bent structure leads to its polar nature, which is the cause for most of its unique properties. It the molecule were straight, it would not be polar and this would be quite disruptive. Water would no longer be strongly attracted to itself or other polar molecules. So water would no longer have surface tension. Insects which walk on water would fall through. Water would have a far lower boiling point, so it would evaporate much more easily. Also, boiling water would no longer be hot enough to cook food. The hydrogen bonding character of water would change, resulting in that ice would no longer be less dense than liquid water, and therefore ice would sink to the bottom of bodies of water. Most disastrous would be the effect on living things. Water would no longer be a solvent and so anything which is dissolved in water in animal\'s bodies would come out of solution. Ions and electrolytes would come out of the water and clump up in the body. Without water to dissolve things, the blood could no longer carry certain essential chemicals to the cells, nor could it carry certain toxic wastes away from cells. Cellular metabolism would soon cease to function and life as we know it would for the most part cease. ===================== If water were a linear molecule, would it still be polar? 1 Yes No .Would the water molecules still be able to form hydrogen bonds with one another? 2 Yes No . ANsWER Answer Details 1. no 2. yes. note: if the water molecule is linear, the net dipole moment is zero. thus, it is not polar. However, the O-H bond is still polar due to the different electronegativity of O and H atoms. Thus, the H---O-H hydrogen bonds still exist. Solution Water\'s bent structure leads to its polar nature, which is the cause for most of its unique properties. It the molecule were straight, it would not be polar and this would be quite disruptive. Water would no longer be strongly attracted to itself or other polar molecules. So water would no longer have surface tension. Insects which walk on water would fall through. Water would have a far lower boiling point, so it would evaporate much more easily. Also, boiling water would no longer be hot enough to cook food. The hydrogen bonding character of water would change, resulting in that ice would no longer be less dense than liquid water, and therefore ice would sink to the bottom of bodies of water. Most disastrous would be the effect on living things. Water would no longer be a solvent and so anything which is dissolved in water in animal\'s bodies would come out of solution. Ions and electrolytes would come out of the water and clump up in the body. Without water to dissolve things, the blood could no longer carry certain essential chemicals to the cells, nor could it carry certain toxic wastes away from cells. Cellular metabolism would soon cease to function and life as we know it would for the most part cease. ===================== If water were a linear molecule, would it still be pol.

1. Water's bent structure leads to its polar nature, which is the cause for most of its
unique properties. It the molecule were straight, it would not be polar and this would be quite
disruptive. Water would no longer be strongly attracted to itself or other polar molecules. So
water would no longer have surface tension. Insects which walk on water would fall through.
Water would have a far lower boiling point, so it would evaporate much more easily. Also,
boiling water would no longer be hot enough to cook food. The hydrogen bonding character of
water would change, resulting in that ice would no longer be less dense than liquid water, and
therefore ice would sink to the bottom of bodies of water. Most disastrous would be the effect on
living things. Water would no longer be a solvent and so anything which is dissolved in water in
animal's bodies would come out of solution. Ions and electrolytes would come out of the water
and clump up in the body. Without water to dissolve things, the blood could no longer carry
certain essential chemicals to the cells, nor could it carry certain toxic wastes away from cells.
Cellular metabolism would soon cease to function and life as we know it would for the most part
cease. ===================== If water were a linear molecule, would it still be polar? 1
Yes No .Would the water molecules still be able to form hydrogen bonds with one another? 2
Yes No . ANsWER Answer Details 1. no 2. yes. note: if the water molecule is linear, the net
dipole moment is zero. thus, it is not polar. However, the O-H bond is still polar due to the
different electronegativity of O and H atoms. Thus, the H---O-H hydrogen bonds still exist.
Solution
Water's bent structure leads to its polar nature, which is the cause for most of its
unique properties. It the molecule were straight, it would not be polar and this would be quite
disruptive. Water would no longer be strongly attracted to itself or other polar molecules. So
water would no longer have surface tension. Insects which walk on water would fall through.
Water would have a far lower boiling point, so it would evaporate much more easily. Also,
boiling water would no longer be hot enough to cook food. The hydrogen bonding character of
water would change, resulting in that ice would no longer be less dense than liquid water, and
therefore ice would sink to the bottom of bodies of water. Most disastrous would be the effect on
living things. Water would no longer be a solvent and so anything which is dissolved in water in
animal's bodies would come out of solution. Ions and electrolytes would come out of the water
and clump up in the body. Without water to dissolve things, the blood could no longer carry
certain essential chemicals to the cells, nor could it carry certain toxic wastes away from cells.
Cellular metabolism would soon cease to function and life as we know it would for the most part
cease. ===================== If water were a linear molecule, would it still be polar? 1
Yes No .Would the water molecules still be able to form hydrogen bonds with one another? 2
Yes No . ANsWER Answer Details 1. no 2. yes. note: if the water molecule is linear, the net

2. dipole moment is zero. thus, it is not polar. However, the O-H bond is still polar due to the
different electronegativity of O and H atoms. Thus, the H---O-H hydrogen bonds still exist.