Water, Water All Around

Abstract

Water is a strange substance with a very unusual behavior. Given its importance and omnipresence it is surprising how much we still do not know structural and dynamic properties of water at the molecular level. The review starts with describing in detail the molecular structure of water. Based on this picture of water with atomic resolution, most notorious myths concerning water are discussed, such as polywater, water memory, and cold fusion. The review concludes with several water puzzles, which have not been fully solved yet. These problems concern the number of hydrogen bonds per water molecule in the liquid state, possible connections between supercooled water and amorphous solid water, and interfacial properties of water and aqueous electrolytes.