Many mysteries of water

[PHC1]

Water... So simple yet so puzzling to science. Water is the miracle that allows for life. Whoever or whatever the "coder" or "creator" was for water, must have been awarded the galactic equivalent of the Nobel Prize for creating it.

Phase anomalies

Water has an unusually high melting/freezing point.
Water has an unusually high boiling point.
Water has an unusually high critical point. This is the temperature at which the distinct liquid and gas states cease to exist. Instead, there is only a supercritical fluid, which can diffuse through solids just like a gas but also dissolve things just like a liquid. Water’s critical point is at a temperature of 374 °C and a pressure of 217 atmospheres: above this temperature, it is a supercritical fluid.
Solid water exists in a wider variety of stable (and metastable) crystal and amorphous structures than other materials.
The thermal conductivity of ice falls with increasing pressure.
The structure of liquid water changes at high pressure.
Supercooled water – that is, water that has been cooled below its freezing point without it becoming a solid – behaves strangely. It has two phases and a second critical point at about -91°C.
Liquid water is easy to supercool, but difficult to turn into a glass-like solid.
Liquid water exists at very low temperatures and freezes on heating.
Liquid water may be easily superheated: that is, heated to a temperature above its boiling point without it boiling.
Hot water may freeze faster than cold water – the Mpemba effect.
Warm water vibrates longer than cold water.


Density anomalies

The density of ice increases on heating (up to a temperature of -203 °C). Normally, solids expand and become less dense when heated.
Water shrinks on melting, when most substances expand.
Pressure reduces ice’s melting point, when it normally increases it: pressure normally encourages a substance to become a solid.

Liquid water has a high density that increases on heating (up to 3.984 °C). Heating a liquid normally causes it to expand, reducing its density.
The surface of water is denser than the bulk. This may be because the density of the surface water does not vary with temperature as the density of the bulk does.
Pressure reduces the temperature of maximum density.
There is a minimum in the density of supercooled water.
Water has a low thermal expansivity: for a given increase in temperature, it does not expand as much as it might be expected to.
Water’s thermal expansivity decreases at low temperatures. Below 4 °C, it becomes negative – so if you heat water that is below this temperature, it will shrink.
The number of nearest neighbours that each water molecule has increases on melting. Normally, because the molecules of a liquid are moving around so much more, any one molecule is likely to have fewer nearest neighbours than if it were part of a solid.
The number of nearest neighbours increases with temperature. This happens because the increasing temperatures break down the hydrogen bond network holding the molecules in place, allowing them to move closer to each other.
There is a maximum in the compressibility-temperature relationship, probably near the temperature at which the density is lowest.
The speed of sound may show a minimum.
High-frequency sounds travel as “fast sound”, because for these frequencies water behaves as if it is a glassy solid rather than a liquid. Water also shows a discontinuity at higher pressure, probably as a result of the water molecules rearranging themselves.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spin-lattice relaxation time is very small at low temperatures. In other words, if the nuclei of the atoms making up water are excited to a higher energy level – for instance by a magnetic field – they return to their previous, lower energy level unusually fast.
The NMR shift increases to a maximum at low (supercool) temperatures.
The refractive index of water – that is, how much light is slowed down, and thus deflected, when it enters water – has a maximum value at just below 0 °C.
The change in volume as liquid water changes to gas is unusually large.
Material anomalies
No aqueous solution is ideal. In other words, there is no substance that can be dissolved in water without any heat being absorbed or released. This is because dissolving a substance in water always involves disrupting the clustering of the water molecules.
The mean kinetic energy of water’s hydrogen atoms increases at low temperature.
When different substances are dissolved in water, they have varying effects on properties such as density and viscosity.
The solubilities of non-polar gases in water decrease with temperature to a minimum and then rise.
The dielectric constant of water is high.
The dielectric constant shows a temperature maximum.
Proton and hydroxide ion mobilities are anomalously fast in an electric field. This may be because the protons can use quantum tunnelling to travel rapidly between neighbouring water molecules.
The electrical conductivity of water rises to a maximum at about 230 °C.
For weak acids in water, the acidity constants (a measure of the strength of the acid when dissolved) show temperature minima.
X-ray diffraction shows an unusually detailed structure.
Under high pressure, water molecules move further away from each other with increasing pressure.

Thermodynamic anomalies
Water’s heat of fusion – the amount of heat energy that 1 mole of it must absorb to melt – is at a maximum at -17 °C.
Liquid water has over twice the specific heat capacity of ice or steam. In other words, it takes almost twice as much energy to increase its temperature by the same amount.
The specific heat capacity also has a maximum, at about -45 °C.
The specific heat capacity has a minimum with respect to pressure.
The heat capacity also has a maximum.
Water’s heat of vaporization – the energy required to transform it from a liquid into a gas – is unusually high.
Its heat of sublimation, the energy needed to change it from a solid directly into a gas – without becoming a liquid in between – is also unusually high.
Water’s entropy of vaporization – the increase in disorder caused by changing it from a liquid to a gas – is high.
The thermal conductivity of water is high and rises to a maximum at about 130 °C. In other words, energy is transferred unusually fast from regions of hot water to regions of cooler water, and this rate of transfer reaches a maximum at around 130 °C.

Physical anomalies

Water is surprisingly viscous: although it is “thin”, it is surprisingly resistant to force.
Water’s viscosity decreases with pressure at temperatures below 33 °C.
At low temperatures, the self-diffusion of water increases as the density and pressure increase.
The thermal diffusivity, water’s ability to adjust its temperature to that of the surroundings, rises with pressure until it reaches a maximum at a pressure of about 7900 atmospheres.
Water has unusually high surface tension.
Some salts exhibit the Jones-Ray effect when dissolved in water: when the salt is at a very low concentration, the surface tension of the water reaches a minimum.
Some salts stop small bubbles from coalescing.


Liquid water has a high density that increases on heating (up to 3.984 °C). Heating a liquid normally causes it to expand, reducing its density.
The surface of water is denser than the bulk. This may be because the density of the surface water does not vary with temperature as the density of the bulk does.
Pressure reduces the temperature of maximum density.
There is a minimum in the density of supercooled water.
Water has a low thermal expansivity: for a given increase in temperature, it does not expand as much as it might be expected to.
Water’s thermal expansivity decreases at low temperatures. Below 4 °C, it becomes negative – so if you heat water that is below this temperature, it will shrink.
The number of nearest neighbours that each water molecule has increases on melting. Normally, because the molecules of a liquid are moving around so much more, any one molecule is likely to have fewer nearest neighbours than if it were part of a solid.
The number of nearest neighbours increases with temperature. This happens because the increasing temperatures break down the hydrogen bond network holding the molecules in place, allowing them to move closer to each other.
There is a maximum in the compressibility-temperature relationship, probably near the temperature at which the density is lowest.
The speed of sound may show a minimum.
High-frequency sounds travel as “fast sound”, because for these frequencies water behaves as if it is a glassy solid rather than a liquid. Water also shows a discontinuity at higher pressure, probably as a result of the water molecules rearranging themselves.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spin-lattice relaxation time is very small at low temperatures. In other words, if the nuclei of the atoms making up water are excited to a higher energy level – for instance by a magnetic field – they return to their previous, lower energy level unusually fast.
The NMR shift increases to a maximum at low (supercool) temperatures.
The refractive index of water – that is, how much light is slowed down, and thus deflected, when it enters water – has a maximum value at just below 0 °C.
The change in volume as liquid water changes to gas is unusually large.
Material anomalies
No aqueous solution is ideal. In other words, there is no substance that can be dissolved in water without any heat being absorbed or released. This is because dissolving a substance in water always involves disrupting the clustering of the water molecules.
The mean kinetic energy of water’s hydrogen atoms increases at low temperature.
When different substances are dissolved in water, they have varying effects on properties such as density and viscosity.
The solubilities of non-polar gases in water decrease with temperature to a minimum and then rise.
The dielectric constant of water is high.
The dielectric constant shows a temperature maximum.
Proton and hydroxide ion mobilities are anomalously fast in an electric field. This may be because the protons can use quantum tunnelling to travel rapidly between neighbouring water molecules.
The electrical conductivity of water rises to a maximum at about 230 °C.
For weak acids in water, the acidity constants (a measure of the strength of the acid when dissolved) show temperature minima.
X-ray diffraction shows an unusually detailed structure.
Under high pressure, water molecules move further away from each other with increasing pressure.
Thermodynamic anomalies
Water’s heat of fusion – the amount of heat energy that 1 mole of it must absorb to melt – is at a maximum at -17 °C.
Liquid water has over twice the specific heat capacity of ice or steam. In other words, it takes almost twice as much energy to increase its temperature by the same amount.
The specific heat capacity also has a maximum, at about -45 °C.
The specific heat capacity has a minimum with respect to pressure.
The heat capacity also has a maximum.
Water’s heat of vaporization – the energy required to transform it from a liquid into a gas – is unusually high.
Its heat of sublimation, the energy needed to change it from a solid directly into a gas – without becoming a liquid in between – is also unusually high.
Water’s entropy of vaporization – the increase in disorder caused by changing it from a liquid to a gas – is high.
The thermal conductivity of water is high and rises to a maximum at about 130 °C. In other words, energy is transferred unusually fast from regions of hot water to regions of cooler water, and this rate of transfer reaches a maximum at around 130 °C.
Physical anomalies
Water is surprisingly viscous: although it is “thin”, it is surprisingly resistant to force.
Water’s viscosity decreases with pressure at temperatures below 33 °C.
At low temperatures, the self-diffusion of water increases as the density and pressure increase.
The thermal diffusivity, water’s ability to adjust its temperature to that of the surroundings, rises with pressure until it reaches a maximum at a pressure of about 7900 atmospheres.
Water has unusually high surface tension.
Some salts exhibit the Jones-Ray effect when dissolved in water: when the salt is at a very low concentration, the surface tension of the water reaches a minimum.
Some salts stop small bubbles from coalescing.

[Masterlu]

Water also brings out the best in other creatures.

[PHC1]

Dr. Masaru Emoto's Water Molecule Experiment. Video link below.

His central premise put forward is that human beings can affect the shape and molecular structure of water just through conscious intention. He demonstrates this in two ways: first by showing images of water molecules from the Fujiwara Dam, before and after they have been blessed by a monk. He then shows the impact of labeling bottles of distilled water with thoughts. Some bottles feature positive thoughts, while others feature negative ones. He then freezes contents from each bottle and photographs them at sub zero temperatures using a high powered microscopic camera.

The resulting shape, color and structure of the water crystals shows marked variation. Water from bottles that were labeled with positive messages have intricate structures and shiny, diamond-like reflective qualities. Those that were labeled with negative thoughts have deformed, collapsed structures with black holes and yellow tinged edges.


https://youtu.be/au4qx_l8KEU

[Cohibaman]

Water is very unique indeed. There’s only three things that expand (or get less dense) as they freeze (solidify); bismuth, antimony, and water. If water got more dense, like other materials or elements do as they solidify, lakes would always have ice at the bottom, effectively killing all plant life, which would in turn kill all animal life. Sorry to all the non-geeks reading this.

[PHC1]

We are all familiar with the closed system of water on our planet. Evaporation from oceans and lakes, condensation forming clouds , rain refilling oceans and lakes, etc... But water did not form on this planet. It was brought here, asteroids and comets or so the science says. Other words water is “Alien” in nature. Is it any wonder then that it acts strange?

[bart]

It is a miraculous substance.
We should take care of it.
If you consider that every drop of it on this planet can potentially ever pass through our mouth and body...

[Poppyhome]

Originally Posted by PHC1

We are all familiar with the closed system of water on our planet. Evaporation from oceans and lakes, condensation forming clouds , rain refilling oceans and lakes, etc... But water did not form on this planet. It was brought here, asteroids and comets or so the science says. Other words water is “Alien” in nature. Is it any wonder then that it acts strange?

I know exactly where water came from......................GOD

Ron

[crwilli]

Hydrogen Bonding

[Formerly YB-2]

Originally Posted by Poppyhome

I know exactly where water came from......................GOD
Ron

Which god? There are thousands of them.

[Cohibaman]

Oh boy, this ain’t gonna end well!