Home > Chemistry > Properties of Intermolecular Bonds

As liquid water freezes, the molecules arrange themselves in a way that takes up more space than llquid water. What would most likely occur if the arrangement of frozen water molecules required less space than that of liquid water molecules?

Answer 1

The Titanic would still be sailing, possibly.

Oceans would probably freeze over if ice were denser than liquid water because icebergs would sink (even though sea water is denser than regular water). For instance, ice that is laid down in the winter would not entirely thaw in the summer, resulting in a net increase of ice during the following winter cycle.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Wyatt Atkins

The behavior of bodies of water and ecosystems would be profoundly affected if the arrangement of molecules in frozen water required less space than that of molecules in liquid water. This would be the case if ice were denser than liquid water and would sink in liquid instead of rising as it does now.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.