X-ray Scattering and O-O Pair-Distribution Functions of Amorphous Ices.

The structure factor and oxygen-oxygen pair-distribution functions of amorphous ices at liquid nitrogen temperature ( T = 77 K) have been derived from wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) up to interatomic distances of r = 23 Å, where local structure differences between the amorphous ices can be seen for the entire range. The distances to the first coordination shell for low-, high-, and very-high-density amorphous ice (LDA, HDA, VHDA) were determined to be 2.75, 2.

Water: A Tale of Two Liquids.

Water is the most abundant liquid on earth and also the substance with the largest number of anomalies in its properties. It is a prerequisite for life and as such a most important subject of current research in chemical physics and physical chemistry. In spite of its simplicity as a liquid, it has an enormously rich phase diagram where different types of ices, amorphous phases, and anomalies disclose a path that points to unique thermodynamics of its supercooled liquid state that still hides many unraveled secrets.