We have learned a lot about water and its properties. But not everyone realizes that these properties are extremely different, and even if we go around the universe, it is difficult for us to find the second substance.
For us humans, water is a substance that is both familiar and foreign. Familiar because water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, is present in most living organisms, accounts for 70% of the mass of the human body…
But water is also very strange because of its special properties that until now, scientists have not been able to fully explain.
For us humans, water is a substance that is both familiar and foreign.
The first thing to consider is the density of water. As the temperature drops, most liquids will contract. But water only obeys this rule as long as the temperature is above 4 degrees Celsius. And if it is lower, the lower the temperature, the more water will expand. That also means, water has the greatest density at 4 degrees Celsius.
The next special feature is the stone. When we put cold ice in water, we see that the ice always floats on the surface. This phenomenon is so common in life that you often ignore it.
But it should be noted that a substance in the solid state is usually denser than itself in the liquid state. So, the ice should be submerged in water, right?
The rock floats on the water.
Not only that, water has a higher boiling point and surface tension than a lot of other liquids. Water is also very soluble. Therefore, water has great biological significance and is known as the “solvent of the universe”.
When trying to explain the distinct properties of water, researchers from the University of Bristol (UK) and the University of Tokyo (Japan) used a supercomputer to reconstruct a water molecule model. They found that at room temperature, the water molecule has a tetrahedral structure.
It is this pyramidal arrangement of atoms that allows water to have abilities that most other liquids do not.
The tetrahedral structure of the water molecule.
In deeper experiments, the experts simulated water molecules with different arrangements. As a result, when the pyramid structure is gone, water loses all its special properties and becomes a normal liquid.
“Through this experiment, we know that the tetrahedral molecular structure is what causes water to have different properties from other liquids in nature, ” said John Russo, who led the research project. .
“We hope the results of this work will contribute to solving the mysteries of water,” he added.
The study was published by the National Academy of Sciences (USA).
In addition, water has many interesting things that we do not notice. Let’s read the article Interesting things about water that you may not know to discover these interesting things.