How do polar covalent bonds within the water molecule enable it to be usually found in liquid form?
The high polarity of a water molecule and the presence of hydrogen bonds creates very strong intermolecular forces when a large number of water molecules are present. These intermolecular forces hold the molecules together and as a result, a very large amount of energy is required to break these bonds and boil the water into a gas. This explains water’s relatively high boiling point as opposed to other covalently bonded molecules (such as alkanes). Temperature is a measure of kinetic energy, so the higher the boiling point, more energy is required to turn the liquid into a gas.
