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Why is water thought to have only 3 states? Is it impossible to transform water into a plasma state?
by brlewis 15y ago
Why is water thought to have only 3 states? Is it impossible to transform water into a plasma state?
- trebor 15y agoIt should probably be expressed as a "sub-state". - Solid - However many states there are... - Liquid - Odd Liquid - Gas - Plasma?
- Avshalom 15y agoI don't know for certain, but I suspect in plasma situations it stops be H2O and becomes hydrogen and oxygen plasmas separately and can't really be considered water any more.
- cjensen 15y agoWater is a molecule, not an atom. There are no molecules in plasma since the electrons have all wandered off. So if you heat water gas enough, it becomes a plasma of hydrogen and oxygen.
- brlewis 15y agoYou are almost 100% right. There are almost never any molecules in plasma: http://physics.aps.org/story/v22/st17 http://physics.aps.org/story/v22/st17