Water: What We Know and What We Don't

摘要

In this article we first review the well-studied properties of water in the stable temperature moderate pressure ranges, in which its properties are fairly well documented and, to a lesser extent, understood. We then examine the frontier areas of research where water is either metastable, or is in dimensionally reduced circumstances, as for most biological tissue. In these areas, the properties of water and its dilute solutions are often not well established nor is the understanding of the behavior very advanced. We give some attention to the interesting and novel phase transitions between amorphous states that have recently been identified in very thin layers of water, and which may be relevant to cell biology. Our purpose is to identify the gaps in our knowledge and understanding, and to highlight the relevance of current research on water to the science of food processing and preservation.