Ask A Scientist Chemistry Archive

  
name         Aaron L.
age          20s

Question -   Why is water a liquid at room temperature? At first this
question seemed easy enough, but research on the Internet has not 
provided me any help. Can you help?
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Your question is a special case of a more general one: "Why does substance
X melt at its melting point?" The answer, which is not much help, is no one
knows. An "answer", which really begs the question is that a substance
melts when the thermal energy is sufficient to cause molecules to move from
their location in the crystal lattice. However, predicting what that
temperature is, is not solved.
 
Vince Calder
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Aaron,

The hydrogen bonds in water are chemical bonds that form between molecules 
containing a hydrogen atom bonded to a strongly electronegative atom.  In 
this case, this strongly electronegative atom is oxygen.  It is this 
hydrogen bonding that makes water from a liquid at room temperature.  I 
hope that this helps.

Sincerely,

Bob Trach
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