THE UNIQUE PROPERTIES OF WATER

 three times more abundant than all other substances

 one of few inorganic liquids
 only substance that occurs naturally as a solid, liquid and gas
 the most universal solvent
 highest surface tension of all liquids except mercury
 expands upon freezing (by 9%), a property shared with few other substances
 expands with increasing temperature above 4 deg C
 greatest heat capacity of all liquids (1 cal/g/deg C)
 greatest latent heat of fusion and vaporization
 greatest thermal conductivity except for mercury
 high transparency
 like air, a highly mobile substance
 a dense liquid and therefore only slightly compressible