Water is an inorganic compound made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The main properties of water are that it is colourless, odorless and tasteless. It is the most essential liquid in our life and in all other creatures such as plants and animals, water is also the best known substance that exists in three forms (solid, liquid, gaseous) depending on the surrounding temperature. Water is also called the “universal solvent” because it can easily dissolve many substances. It is also used as a reagent in several reactions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay The simplest chemical reaction in which a water molecule is a reactant is known as a hydrolysis reaction. The word hydrolysis comes from the word hydro, which is Greek for water, and lysis, which means "to dissolve." In practical terms, hydrolysis means the act of separating chemicals by adding water. In the hydrolysis process, the pH of the solution can also be changed because the reaction occurs mainly between the water molecule and an ion. A bond present in a molecule splits with the help of H2O. This process would be called hydrolysis. A common hydrolysis occurs when a salt of weak acid and weak base is dissolved in water. The general formula of a hydrolysis reaction is: AB + H2O → AH + BOH Water can also resist a chemical change. Water molecules can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen molecules through a chemical reaction called electrolysis. When an electric current is passed through liquid water (H2O), it turns the water into two gases: hydrogen and oxygen. Water molecules split into individual atoms. These atoms then recombine into hydrogen molecules (H2) and oxygen molecules (O2). The original material (water) transforms into different substances through a chemical reaction. Hydrogen and oxygen are used as fuel for Space Shuttle rockets. During liftoff, liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen combine in a reaction opposite to electrolysis. This reaction produces water and a large amount of energy that helps push the shuttle into orbit. In simple words, water acts as a reactant and breaks down or we can say split the larger molecule into smaller ones, H and OH bonds are attached to the two products which are formed after the reaction. Another process in which water is used as an important reagent is photosynthesis. In this process, plants produce their own food by converting light energy into chemical energy. The products of photosynthesis, oxygen and glucose, are the reactants of the cellular respiration reaction. In turn, the products of cellular respiration, carbon dioxide and water, are the reactants of photosynthesis. In green plants, photosynthesis is the main process that takes place. In this process, water and carbon dioxide are reactants that break down and produce a molecule of glucose and oxygen to make its own food for growth. In the above reaction carbon dioxide, water and light energy are converted into a glucose-carbohydrate molecule and an oxygen molecule. The light is consumed by the green leaves in which the green pigment chlorophyll is present which helps and plays an important role in the production of food and growth of the plant. H2O, CO2 and sunlight are the components necessary for a plant to carry out its photosynthesis process. When water and carbon dioxide are converted into the product glucose, it is converted into pyruvate which is glycolysis, and subsequently leads to the Krebs cycle and ETC (electron transport chain). Water is the most important reagent in the process.