Water might be the weirdest liquid in the universe, and now we know why

John B Knapp
Sep 8, 2018 · 1 min read

Water might seem ubiquitous and ordinary; it covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, not to mention being the primary fluid in most living organisms. But when you step back and look at water from the point of view of physics and chemistry, it’s truly an oddball molecule.

For one, water has a highly unusual density. Most liquids become more dense as they cool down, but after water cools past 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit, it defies this general rule and instead becomes less dense. By the time it freezes solid, the resultant ice actually floats on liquid water. Again, because water is so ubiquitous, you might not find this property weird, but solids are generally supposed to be denser than their liquid forms. Not so with water.

That’s not all. Water also has an unusually high boiling point, and an absurdly high surface tension to boot. Oh, and there’s also the property that makes water such a valuable substance for life: so many chemical substances dissolve in it that it’s often referred to as a “universal solvent.”

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