In an experimental paper, published in the International Journal of Nanotechnology, the researchers were surprised to find a number of physical properties of water, like surface tension and its refractive index, change their behaviour between 50℃ and 60℃.
There is a possibility of another state, than solid, liquid and gas. Because the phase of a substance is determined by how its molecules are configured, many physical properties of that substance will change abruptly as it goes from one state to another.
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In the recent paper, the researchers measured several telltale physical properties of water at temperatures between 0℃ and 100℃ under normal atmospheric conditions (meaning the water was a liquid). The apparent extra phase of water is that it behaves a little bit like a liquid crystal. The hydrogen bonds between molecules keep some order at low temperatures, but eventually could take a second, less-ordered liquid phase at higher temperatures. This could explain the kinks observed by the researchers in their data.
If confirmed, the authors’ findings could have numerous applications and open the secrets in the simplest of things.
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