this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2025
1 points (100.0% liked)

Science Memes

15532 readers
274 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.



Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.

This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.



Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Little bits of it oscillate between hydronium and hydroxide so a little of both but not enough to make a difference.

[–] NielsBohron@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

That's why the meme works. It's not because water autoionizes; it's because water is amphoteric, meaning it can act as either a Brønsted-Lowry acid or BL base depending on what what it's reacting with. Put water with ammonia, and water acts as an acid. Put water with acetic acid, and it acts as a base

Source: I teach college chemistry

[–] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Water is so cool. I like how the hydrophobic effects drives protein folding

[–] TheOakTree@lemm.ee 0 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I once brought up in a family dinner how incredible and strange water is, and how we don't really think about it.

It appears naturally in all three phases, expands when frozen, has a high surface tension, has a high specific heat, and can behave as a mild base or acid. Oh, and all the living stuff has water in it.

Nobody really understood what I meant except my sister.

[–] SolarMonkey@slrpnk.net 0 points 2 months ago

If it makes you feel any better, I totally get it.

I’ve thought many times how different the universe would be (would complex life on earth even work the same way???) if frozen water became more dense and sank like most frozen substances.

[–] JATtho@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Do you know about ortho/para-H~2~O? It only gets weirder.

[–] TheOakTree@lemm.ee 0 points 2 months ago

Neat, I will be saving this and reading it when I'm less busy... maybe I'll get back to you on it.