Water in complex environments such as living systems

Philippa M Wiggins

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2002, vol. 314, issue 1, 485-491

Abstract: With the proposal by H.E. Stanley and coworkers and the late G.W. Robinson and his coworkers that liquid water exists as two rapidly exchanging microdomains of different densities, the already complex living cell has acquired new levels of complexity. Microdomains are apparently of the order of eight molecules in diameter, large enough to dissolve small solutes. The difference in density (of the order of 30%) suggests that both physical and chemical properties of water must differ in the two microdomains. These differences cannot be measured in the pure liquid since the microdomains cannot be selectively probed. It has previously been shown, however, that water in very small pores or clefts (of the order of 1–3nm diameter) can comprise, almost exclusively, one type of water or the other. This has enabled single types of water to be characterised.

Keywords: Two-state water; Solutes; Surfaces (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2002
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:314:y:2002:i:1:p:485-491

DOI: 10.1016/S0378-4371(02)01086-5

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