I. Preliminaries1. Introduction. In this Account, we will emphasize that organic molecules undergo a wide range of chemistry in neutral superheated water. Counter to what is traditionally taught in organic chemistry courses, no acids, bases, or catalysts need to be added. In this chemistry, water participates as a catalyst, reactant, and solvent. For example, polyethylene terephthalate (plastic soda bottles), polyurethanes, and other polymers are cleaved to their starting materials at 300 °C. Diaryl ethers cleave rapidly, Diels-Alder reaction selectivities are dramatically enhanced, and several types of deuteration reactions are effected in pure superheated deuterium oxide. Such reactions, and many others, are facilitated by changes in the chemical and physical properties of water as temperature increases. These changes make the solvent properties of water (density, dielectric constant) at high temperature similar to those of polar organic solvents at room temperature, thus facilitating reactions with organic compounds in an environmentally friendly medium. An increase in the dissociation constant by 3 orders of magnitude allows water at