H20 - One of life's mysteries?

[AJUK]

I'll do the blessing around here.

Well it doesn't work, where's my Porsche?

 

[Pug]

i respect the OPs post tbh

Having just graduated today from my Analytical Chemistry PhD i clearly understand how water is formed, its physical properties and the rest, but that alone doesnt really do justice to the wonderful molecule that is water.

 

[A.N.Other]

There is no need to marvel. Just know that God created each and every droplet of water for your - and mine - benefit.

Hallelujah.

*waves hands in air*

 

[Cryogenic]

i respect the OPs post tbh

Having just graduated today from my Analytical Chemistry PhD i clearly understand how water is formed, its physical properties and the rest, but that alone doesnt really do justice to the wonderful molecule that is water.

 

[inferno]

It's not, it has a very high surface tension, hence rain drops on roses, wiskers on....

Erm. That's why you use soap. It lets the water get things wet!

Fun task if you like: find a pond/body of water with water boat men (little insects that skate on the surface tension) on it. Get a tiny drop of washing up liquid and drop it next to the insect. Watch the insect vanish under the water as it's once sturdy ground vanishes!

Simon

SO if i held a cloth in soapy water and normal water for 10 minutes, one would be less wet than the other? I thought soap was designed to get rid of dirt, or does it do that by allowing the water to penetrate the dirt thus removing it?

 

[Kristoph]

If you drank heavy water you would die. The rate of reactions in your body work with Hydrogen and if the deuterium was present it would ruin many of your biological reactions from occurring as they should.

That is why they use deteriorated compounds to work out reaction mechanisms.

Firstly you cant drink deuterium, it's a gas.

You can drink deuterium oxide though

Death won't occur immediately. I've read it takes about two weeks if you drank it constantly.

 

[aardvark]

SO if i held a cloth in soapy water and normal water for 10 minutes, one would be less wet than the other? I thought soap was designed to get rid of dirt, or does it do that by allowing the water to penetrate the dirt thus removing it?

its a bit more complicated than that but thats sort of right - the soapy cloth would be wetter, and the soap ( a surfactant) overcomes the repulsive energy barrier between the water and the dirt so the dirt can dissolve in the water.

Firstly you cant drink deuterium, it's a gas.

You can drink deuterium oxide though

Death won't occur immediately. I've read it takes about two weeks if you drank it constantly.

i think it would take a long time - reaction kinetics in D2O are slightly slower(?) than in H2O so it would screw up all the enzymatic process and virtually everything else, but it may take a while - it will be interesting to see how it actually works - someone must have tried it at some point ???

 

[EffBee]

Can you really breath using liquid oxygen, Like the Abyss Movie?

I think experiments have been done with breathing oxygenated liquids but not pure liquid oxygen. Its physical properties would make breathing it a bit uncomfortable.

 

[Kristoph]

i think it would take a long time - reaction kinetics in D2O are slightly slower(?) than in H2O so it would screw up all the enzymatic process and virtually everything else, but it may take a while - it will be interesting to see how it actually works - someone must have tried it at some point ???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_water#Toxicity_in_humans