High-Quality H2O!

Happy Earth Day! Time to appreciate this magical sphere on which we hurl through space! When I think about the earth, two things come to mind - one is the evils of dihydrogen monoxide. You can read more here www.dhmo.org/ DHMO kills thousands of people and destroys hundreds of square miles of the earth every year. Let's hope we get this evil chemical under control!

And the other is water. Sure, water is beautiful whether it's laying in a lake, hovering in the sky, or frozen to a house roof. But the water molecule itself is nature's most beautiful creation! Two hydrogen atoms and two unshared pairs of electron in orbit around an oxygen atom, forming a perfect tetrahedron with each angle a perfect 109.5 degrees. And because of this shape, a wonderful thing happens when the temperature changes From a gaseous state through a liquid state the density increases as molecules get closer and closer, right down to the freezing point of 0 degrees C. Then, unlike almost all other liquids, the magic happens! As water forms a solid, the shape of the molecule and the resulting crystalline structure give it an amazing property - the density drops dramatically! Thus, ice floats! Making life possible on this planet Isn't it beautiful?

Anyway, here are a few wonderful photos from friend showing both the effects of dihydrogen monoxide and the beauty of water.




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