Weird Water (Odd H2O Variants & Properties)

[ramonmercado]

Wetness-defying water? Physicists discover a paradox: hydrophobic water

Now you can extend that truism about oil and water to water and itself. Water and water don't always mix, either.
The textbooks say that water readily comes together with other water, open arms of hydrogen clasping oxygen attached to other OH molecules. This is the very definition of "wetness." But scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have observed a first: a single layer of water--ice grown on a platinum wafer--that gives the cold shoulder to subsequent layers of ice that come into contact with it.

"Water-surface interactions are ubiquitous in nature and play an important role in many technological applications such as catalysis and corrosion," said Greg Kimmel, staff scientist at the Department of Energy lab and lead author of a paper in the current issue (Oct. 15 advance online edition) of Physical Review Letters. "It was assumed that one end of the water molecule would bind to metal, and at the other end would be these nice hydrogen attachment points for the atoms in next layer of water."

A theory out of Cambridge University last year suggested that these attachment points, or "dangling OH's," did not exist, that instead of dangling, the OH's were drawn by the geometry of hexagonal noble-metal surfaces and clung to that.

Kimmel and his co-authors, working at the PNNL-based W.R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, tested the theory with a technique called rare gas physisorption that enlists krypton to probe metal surfaces and water layers on those surfaces. They found that the first single layer of water, or monolayer, wetted the platinum surface as they had expected but "that subsequent layers did not wet the first layer," Kimmel said. "In other words, the first layer of water is hydrophobic."

The results jibe with an earlier Stanford University study that used X-ray adsorption to show that rather than being fixed pointing outward in the dangling position, wet and ready to receive the next water layer, the arms of a water monolayer on a metal surface are double-jointed. They swivel back toward the surface of the metal to find a place to bind. To the water molecules approaching this bent-over-backward surface, the layer has all the attractiveness of a freshly waxed car's hood.

The second layer beads up, but that's not all: Additional water's attraction to that first hydrophobic water monolayer is so weak that 50 or more ice-crystal layers can be piled atop the first until all the so-called non-wetting portions are covered--akin to "the coalescence of water drops on a waxed car in a torrential downpour," said Bruce Kay, PNNL laboratory fellow and co-author with Kimmel and PNNL colleagues Nick Petrik and Zdenek Dohnálek.

Kimmel said that self-loathing water on metal is more than a curiosity and will come as a surprise to many in the field who assumed that water films uniformly cover surfaces. Hundreds of experiments have been done on thin water films grown on metal surfaces to learn such things as how these films affect molecules in which they come into contact and what role heat, light and high-energy radiation play in such interactions.
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Source: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
http://www.physorg.com/news7237.htm

 

[Ermintruder]

Suddenly I've been reminded that I once read a CLEAPSE/COSHH lab safety sheet for water (not, apparently, a spoof). Yes, water. In the event of getting the substance in the eyes, the required immediate reaction was to 'flush the area with copious amounts of water'. Truly, I promise you, this was stated in writing.

 

[Mythopoeika]

[Suddenly I've been reminded that I once read a CLEAPSE/COSHH lab safety sheet for water (not, apparently, a spoof). Yes, water. In the event of getting the substance in the eyes, the required immediate reaction was to 'flush the area with copious amounts of water'. Truly, I promise you, this was stated in writing]

Remember the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide? 'Nuff said.

 

[Ermintruder]

Remember the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide? 'Nuff said.

Indeed...can be damn dangerous stuff, water.

And sometimes even more so, if it gets changed from dihydrogen monoxide...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-nine

Ice-nine

"Ice-nine is a material appearing in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle. Ice-nine is supposedly a polymorph of water (invented by Dr. Felix Hoenikker), more stable than common ice (Ice Ih); instead of melting at 0 °C (32 °F), it melts at 45.8 °C (114.4 °F). When ice-nine comes into contact with liquid water below 45.8 °C (thus effectively becoming supercooled), it acts as a seed crystal and causes the solidification of the entire body of water, which quickly crystallizes as more ice-nine. As people are mostly water, ice-nine kills nearly instantly when ingested or brought into contact with soft tissues exposed to the bloodstream, such as the eyes.

In the story, it is developed by the Manhattan Project in order for the Marines to no longer need to deal with mud, but abandoned when it becomes clear that any quantity of it would have the power to destroy all life on earth. A global catastrophe involving freezing the world's oceans with ice-nine is used as a plot device in Vonnegut's novel."

 

[Xanatic*]

Weren't there a discovery in real life of a similar substance? Or am I making this up?

 

[kamalktk]

It turns out there are two different kinds of H20 molecules, and they react differently.

https://www.sciencealert.com/quantu...-than-ortho-isomer?perpetual=yes&limitstart=1
----------------------------------------------
Not that you could tell by looking at it, but the glass of water sitting on your desk contains two different kinds of water molecule rotating in subtly different ways.

A recent experiment managed to separate them, discovering one is much better at reacting than the other.

 

[Yithian]

Which kind tastes better?

 

[maximus otter]

Which was passed by the experts?

maximus otter

 

[ramonmercado]

Which was passed by the experts?

maximus otter

Holy Water has to be passed by the Pope.

 

[EnolaGaia]

Here's another oddball stunt water can perform under duress ...

Scientists Have Pushed Water Molecules Into a Whole New State of Matter

Physicists have managed to squeeze water molecules into a brand new state that doesn't adhere to the usual laws of solids, liquids, and gases. By trapping water into very tiny cracks, similar to those that also exist in nature, the researchers have managed to get its hydrogen and oxygen atoms to behave in very peculiar ways.

The discovery is closely linked to existing hypotheses in quantum physics – an area of science where the 'classic rulebook' of the Universe is often tossed out and ignored. The team behind the research isn't quite sure where their find will lead quite yet, but it should offer new insight into how water behaves in ultra-confined spaces.

Scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory forced water molecules down channels made from the mineral beryl, measuring just 5 angstroms across (about 1 ten-billionth of a metre), as Michael Byrne from Motherboard reports.

They say similar conditions are likely to be found in the natural world too, inside soils, mineral interfaces, and cell walls, for example.

Inside this molecular straightjacket (individual atoms are about 1 angstrom across), the two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom that make up a water molecule started to display some really weird behaviour.

Rather than being fixed, the hydrogen atoms began to appear in six different symmetric orientations at the same time, with the oxygen atom in the middle ...

The six different positions match the six different walls of the hexagonal channel, the scientists say. As they tunnel, the hydrogen atoms cycle between all possible positions, and the temperature is increased as a result.

What's more, the molecule's centre of mass shifts to the central oxygen atom rather than the outlying hydrogen ones (as would be the case in a typical molecule). The newly symmetrical layout also means the molecule loses its electric dipole moment, which means the negative and positive charges in the atoms are no longer unbalanced, and in theory, it should no longer be interested in bonding with other atoms or molecules.

It's a major discovery, even if the scientists behind it aren't exactly sure what it means quite yet.

"It's one of those phenomena that only occur in quantum mechanics and has no parallel in our everyday experience," said lead researcher, Alexander Kolesnikov.

"This discovery represents a new fundamental understanding of the behaviour of water and the way water utilises energy," added team member, Lawrence Anovitz.

The next step is figuring out why this phenomenon occurs, but ultimately it should give scientists a better understanding of the thermodynamics and behaviour of water when it's in very tightly confined environments.

SOURCE: https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-pushed-water-molecules-beyond-solids-liquids-and-gases

 

[EnolaGaia]

Believe it or not, it's only been recently that scientists have figured out how electricity is conducted through water. Another unexpected fun fact - absolutely pure water isn't an electricity conductor at all.

After Centuries, Scientists Have Finally Figured Out How Water Conducts Electricity

It's a textbook moment centuries in the making: more than 200 years after scientists started investigating how water molecules conduct electricity, a team has finally witnessed it happening first-hand.

It's no surprise that most naturally occurring water conducts electricity incredibly well - that's a fact most of us have been taught since primary school. But despite how fundamental the process is, no one had been able to figure out how it actually happens on the atomic level.

"This fundamental process in chemistry and biology has eluded a firm explanation," said one of the team, Anne McCoy from the University of Washington. "And now we have the missing piece that gives us the bigger picture: how protons essentially 'move' through water."

The researchers, led by Yale University's Mark Johnson, were able to witness water molecules passing along protons - positively charged subatomic particles - using spectroscopy, a process that allows researchers to fire light at molecules and see what's happening inside.

Interestingly, although the water you see in the world around you is a great conductor of electricity, totally pure water, which is rarely found outside the lab, doesn't actually conduct electricity, because of its lack of free electrons.

But, in nature, pretty much all water has mixed with sediments and minerals, which ionises water molecules and allows them to conduct current.

Until now, all researchers really knew about that process was that H2O passes protons from molecule to molecule via their oxygen atom, sort of like a molecular relay race.

This process is called the Grotthuss mechanism, and was first described by chemist Theodor Grotthuss in 1806. ...

FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/after-...ly-figured-out-how-water-conducts-electricity

 

[EnolaGaia]

Strangely enough, water in a certain state of discombobulation into micro-droplets can spontaneously generate hydrogen peroxide ...

In a Totally Unexpected Finding, Water Has Spontaneously Produced Hydrogen Peroxide

Water is a weird molecule, and no matter how many strange things about it we discover, it seems like there are always more unexpected surprises waiting around the corner – even after centuries of researching it.

Case in point: in a new study, scientists in the US have discovered that in the right circumstances, water can spontaneously produce hydrogen peroxide – a quirk of basic chemistry, hiding in plain sight, which somehow eluded our notice until now.

"Water is one of the most commonly found materials, and it's been studied for years and years and you would think that there was nothing more to learn about this molecule," says chemist Richard Zare from Stanford University.

"But here's yet another surprise."

While the scientists observed the phenomenon taking place with pure water, not just any form of water will do.

According to the team, the spontaneous production of hydrogen peroxide can occur when water is atomised into microdroplets: microscopic droplets of water measuring just 1 micrometre to 20 micrometres in diameter.

One micrometre is just one thousandth of a millimetre, so we're talking incredibly tiny droplets here. At such an infinitesimal scale, the spontaneous formation of hydrogen peroxide appears to take place – even in the absence of almost anything else other than water.

"This process does not require any chemical reagent, catalyst, applied electric potential, or radiation," the researchers write in their new paper.

"Only pure water in the form of microdroplets in air is necessary for the appearance of hydrogen peroxide." ...

FULL STORY: https://www.sciencealert.com/water-...drogen-peroxide-in-totally-unexpected-finding

 

[hunck]

Water is weird stuff. Next time you drink a glass of water, mull over the fact you're consuming two gasses. For my body weight, according to UK medical advice, I should consume around 3 litres of the stuff daily.

 

[EnolaGaia]

This new research resolves some longstanding mysteries about water's physico-chemical properties.

Water, water everywhere, and it's weirder than you think

Researchers at The University of Tokyo have used computational methods and analysis of recent experimental data to demonstrate that water molecules take two distinct structures in the liquid state. The team investigated the scattering of X-ray photons through water samples and showed a bimodal distribution hidden under the first diffraction peak that resulted from tetrahedral and non-tetrahedral arrangements of water molecules. This work may have important implications throughout science, but especially with regard to living systems, like proteins and cell structures, which are strongly affected by their surrounding water molecules.

Given the ubiquity of water on our planet and the central role it plays in all known life, it may be hard to believe that there is anything left to learn about this most familiar fluid. A simple molecule made up of just two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen; water still hides fundamental mysteries that remain to be unraveled. For example, water has unusually high melting and boiling points, and even expands when it freezes (unlike most liquids, which contract). These and other unusual properties make it very different from almost all other liquids, but also allow life as we know it to exist.

The weirdness of water can be best understood by thinking about the very unique interactions between H2O molecules -- the hydrogen bond. Water tends to form four hydrogen bonds with its four neighbors, which leads to tetrahedral arrangements of the neighbors. Such arrangements can be largely distorted under thermal fluctuations. However, whether the distortion leads to the coexistence of distinct tetrahedral and non-tetrahedral arrangements has remained controversial.

Now, scientists at The University of Tokyo have combined computer simulations and the analysis of scattering experimental data to find the "structure factor" of water -- the mathematical function that represents the paths of dispersed X-rays when they scatter off the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The analysis showed two overlapping peaks hiding in the first diffraction peak of the structure factor. One of these peaks corresponded to the distance between oxygen atoms as in ordinary liquids, while the other indicated a longer distance, as in a tetrahedral arrangement. "The combination of new computational methods and analysis of recent X-ray scattering data allowed us to see what was not visible in previous work," first author of the study Rui Shi explains.

This discovery may have huge implications across many scientific fields. Knowing the exact structural ordering of water is critical for a complete understanding of molecular biology, chemistry, and even many industrial applications. "It is very satisfying to be able to unravel the liquid structure of such a fundamental substance," senior author Hajime Tanaka says.

SOURCE: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200204112541.htm

 

[kamalktk]

"the team investigated the scattering of X-ray photons through water samples and showed a bimodal distribution hidden under the first diffraction peak that resulted from tetrahedral and non-tetrahedral arrangements of water molecules. This work may have important implications...

Purveyors of woo just got all tingly in their pants.

 

[tagemoss]

Holy Water has to be passed by the Pope.

Which should be pretty easy considering the age of the Pope.

 

[EnolaGaia]

Researchers at The University of Tokyo have used computational methods and analysis of recent experimental data to demonstrate that water molecules take two distinct structures in the liquid state. ...

Water continues to be found weirder than previously suspected ... New research has discovered that this sort of duality of structure can also occur when water is supercooled (below its normal freezing point).

Supercooled Water Is Actually Two Different Liquids in One, Physicists Reveal

Most of the time, ice seems to be the same frozen solid, no matter where you look. Scientists know differently.

Depending on how liquid water is manipulated, its transformation into ice, called crystallisation, can play out in all sorts of different ways, and in some circumstances, it can take extreme temperatures far colder than 0 °C before this transition occurs.

This is the realm of supercooling – scientific experimentation that lowers the temperature of liquid water until it's far beyond its ordinary freezing point, yet still keeping its liquid form. There are various ways of doing this – with selective applications of temperature and pressure – creating the myriad of exotic ice forms that have been found to exist.

In a new study, however, scientists wanted to examine water at extremely cold temperatures before crystallisation occurred, while it was still in its liquid state.

The surprising thing they found is that, in the right circumstances, supercooled water can actually be two liquids in one.

"We showed that liquid water at extremely cold temperatures is not only relatively stable, it exists in two structural motifs," says chemical physicist Greg Kimmel from the US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

"The findings explain a long-standing controversy over whether or not deeply supercooled water always crystallizes before it can equilibrate. The answer is: no." ...

It's not the first time such a duality has been found in water. Previous experiments by other scientists have also revealed a combination of structures in water's liquid state – but this appears to be the first time such a hybrid has been observed at such low temperatures. ...

FULL STORY https://www.sciencealert.com/superc...wo-different-liquids-in-one-scientists-reveal

 

[Kondoru]

Believe it or not, it's only been recently that scientists have figured out how electricity is conducted through water. Another unexpected fun fact - absolutely pure water isn't an electricity conductor at all.

Have you seen the experiment with distilled water which doesnt conduct electricity until a few grains of salt are added?

 

[Mythopoeika]

Have you seen the experiment with distilled water which doesnt conduct electricity until a few grains of salt are added?

I think this is one of the reasons why they say you shouldn't drink distilled water.

 

[Cochise]

The various odd behaviours of water have always struck me as an argument that there is more going on on more planes of existence and consciousness than we know.

I don't intend that as a religious point.

I think this is one of the reasons why they say you shouldn't drink distilled water.

No, you should always put a little alcohol in it :boozing:

 

[Mythopoeika]

Anybody heard of dry water? Invented/discovered by 3M in the UK.
Voiceover is hard to follow because of the narrator's strong accent, but it's worth persisting:

 

[Bad Bungle]

Believe it or not, it's only been recently that scientists have figured out how electricity is conducted through water.

Next those Boffins will be figuring out what electricity is.

 

[hunck]

Why water is one of the weirdest things in the universe​

Short BBC animation.