There would be no life on earth without water. Water is a liquid at room temperature due to hydrogen bonding. Water has a high heat of vaporization.
Water has a high surface tension.
The amount of energy required to overcome the attraction of molecules of a liquid for one another at the surface. Water is an excellent solvent, often referred to as the universal solvent. Vapor Pressure - the pressure in the gaseous state of those molecules that have escaped from the liquid at a given temperature. Boiling Point - the temperature at which the vapor pressure equals the atmospheric pressure. The dissolving medium.