The kidney is an organ in your body that removes excess water, urea, and metabolic wastes from the blood. Kidney stones are formed from crystals that stick together and can cause a urinary tract infection. Bacterial infections, such as urinary infections, can be treated with antibiotics.

Question

Part 1: Identify one property of water that allows water to dissolve the antibiotic.

Part 2: Explain how the molecular structure of water influences this property.

Answer 1

Part 1:

One property of water that allows it to dissolve the antibiotic is its polarity.

Part 2:

The molecular structure of water is characterized by its polar covalent bonds, where the oxygen atom is more electronegative than the hydrogen atoms. This results in a partial negative charge on the oxygen atom and a partial positive charge on the hydrogen atoms. The polarity of water molecules enables them to interact with various ions and polar molecules, such as many antibiotics, facilitating their dissolution in solution.

When an antibiotic is introduced to water, the polar water molecules surround the antibiotic molecules, with the partially negative oxygen atoms attracting positively charged regions of the antibiotic, and the partially positive hydrogen atoms attracting negatively charged regions. This interaction reduces the cohesive forces between the antibiotic molecules, effectively breaking them apart and allowing them to disperse throughout the water, resulting in the antibiotic being dissolved.