Water transforms into ice upon freezing and evaporates at elevated temperatures. These are the commonly known properties of water. However, now a team of researchers have demonstrated that water splits into two different liquids under low temperatures. This new kind of phase transition in the water was first proposed in a study 30 years ago. However, as the transition takes place in supercooled conditions, where water tends to become ice, observing the elusive liquid-liquid transition had been difficult. To overcome this, team from the University of Birmingham used computer simulation to explain how the two liquids differ at the microscopic level. [1]

Figure 1. Water Separates into Two Different Liquids in Supercooled Conditions

Figure 1 shows the researchers utilized computer simulations to clarify what exact features differentiate the two liquids at the microscopic level. They discovered that the water molecules in the high-density liquid organize themselves into arrangements that can be considered "topologically complicated," such as a trefoil knot or a Hopf link. Thus, it is argued that the molecules in the high-density liquid are entangled. On the contrary, the molecules in the low-density liquid mostly form simple rings.[2]

Based on a novel way to model the behavior of water as a suspension of particles, they identified key features of two different liquid states; one 'topologically complex', linked in an overhand knot similar to a pretzel, the other in a more low-density formation of simpler rings.

As far as progress has been made on demonstrating these states in the laboratory, scientists are still trying to work out exactly what supercooled liquids look like when deprived of heat. [3]The idea of searching for such intricacies in the somewhat abstract space of pathways running along transient molecular bonds is a very powerful one, and I expect it will be widely adopted to study complex molecular systems."

"Water, one after the other, reveals its secrets! Dream how beautiful it would be if we could look inside the liquid and observe the dancing of the water molecules, the way they flicker, and the way they exchange partners, restructuring the hydrogen bond network. The realisation of the colloidal model for water we propose can make this dream come true." [4]

References:

1. https://gadgets360.com/science/news/water-splits-two-different-liquids-under-low-temperatures-supercooled-conditions-3278483
2. https://interestingengineering.com/science/new-study-proves-water-separates-in-two-different-liquids
3. https://www.sciencealert.com/water-can-separate-into-2-different-liquids-we-just-got-closer-to-knowing-why
4. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/08/220818102750.htm

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022) Water Separates into Two Different Liquids in Supercooled Conditions, Anatechmaz, pp. 416