Water is pretty magical.

On our planet it exists as vapor, liquid and solid.

Water has the chemical formula H2O, dihydrogen monoxide.

Hydrogen—one proton one electron. Simplest, smallest atom.

Oxygen—8 protons and 8 neutrons so bigger than the hydrogen atom.

Bit of high school physics:

First two electron orbits are the inner holding two electrons and the second can hold eight. So the oxygen atom has two empty “slots” that it wants to fill and it does that by sharing an electron from each of two hydrogen atoms hence H2O.

Let us consider another atom, sulphur:

Sulphur, S, has 16 protons and 16 neutrons in its nucleus. It has 2 electrons in the first orbit, 8 in the second and 6 in the third—leaving two empty “spots” in the third orbit where oxygen has two empty spots in the second electron orbit.

Sulphur can combine with hydrogen making H2S, similar formula to water, so H2S has similar properties to H2O right? Wrong!

Boiling point of H2S is -60°C and H2S exists naturally only as a gas on our planet. Why the difference?

The liquid that lets us live has some radical properties!

As we cool it we find it slightly expands (loses some density) when the water is at 4°C and expands rather more when it freezes.This is very unusual behavior! Liquids shrink, become more dense, as they get colder but water DOES NOT!

Anyone have a clue as to an explanation?

Alchemists wasted their time trying to make gold and to find the Universal Solvent.

Water actually has a strong claim to be the universal solvent!

But WHY does water have the properties that allows life on Earth?

We have a smallish atom holding onto the lion’s share of two electrons from two tiny hydrogen atoms. So a strong negative charge and two positive charges.

As water cools and the molecules vibrate less and less these negative and positive charges within the water molecule mean the negative oxygen atom can line up with the positive hydrogen atoms of neighboring water molecules—especially as the two hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the oxygen atom and spaced widely apart.

The structure of the water molecule is reflected in the structure of snowflakes—the triangular water atoms combine to create the hexagonal snowflake. It does this at temperature just below zero—colder and you get sleet.

Also because of the positive and negative charges within a body of water it takes more energy to bring water to a boil than the similar hydrogen sulphide—the bigger sulphur molecule does not have as strong a division into positive and negative charges—it boils at WAY below zero.


If you need to believe in a creator god—think of him creating the atomic/subatomic particles and their laws. Adam and Eve etc—nah.

The hydrogen ion positive charge