Page 146 - The Creation Of The Universe

144 THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE

Plants are created to take advantage of water's high surface tension, as a re-
sult of which, water can be made to rise many meters up into even the high-
est leaves of a forest canopy.

The Chemical Properties of Water

In addition to its physical properties, the chemical properties of water
are also extraordinarily fit for life. Foremost among these properties is that
it is an excellent solvent: nearly all chemical substances are capable of be-
ing dissolved in water.
A very important consequence of this is that useful minerals and similar
substances that are locked up in the land get dissolved in water and trans-
ported to the sea by rivers. It is estimated that five billion tons of such mat-
ter are carried into the sea every year. These substances are vital for sea-
life.
Water also accelerates (catalyzes) nearly all known chemical reactions.
Another important chemical property of water is that its chemical reactivi-
ty is at an ideal level. Water is neither too reactive and thus potentially de-
structive (as sulfuric acid for example) nor is it too inert (like argon which