Water isn’t always as it seems. Under extreme conditions, such as those found on other planets, it has been discovered to change its atomic structure, giving it the means to alter its appearance and other properties.
A new UNLV study published in Communications Chemistry, a Nature Portfolio journal, shows that as pressure is applied to water, it becomes a lower-symmetry version of its previous self.
“Water beyond Earth-like conditions has more complex behavior than we ever previously imagined,” said UNLV physicist Ashkan Salamat, research lead and director of the university's Nevada Extreme Conditions Lab. “It’s amazing how water can behave under pressure.”
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