Chapter 4
The Dielectric Properties and Dynamic
Structure of Water and Ice
Abstract The electrodynamic properties of water are inextricably linked with
its structure and molecular dynamics. This chapter discusses a phenomenological
approach that provides a microscopic description of the various electrodynamic
parameters of water and ice on the same basis. The parameters related to the microscopic dynamics of water (such as the molecular lifetime, the rate of proton exchange,
autoprotolysis, and the mechanism of dielectric polarization) are discussed in fine
details and compared with those derived from independent experimental data. The
microscopic description of the phenomenon of dielectric relaxation and an explanation for the anomalous behavior of dielectric constant are given. In addition, questions
on why microwaves are absorbed by water and pass through other dielectrics, and
why pH is so dependent on temperature are addressed.
4.1 Problems of Describing the Dynamics of Water
on the Basis of Hydrogen Bonds
As mentioned in Chap. 1, hydrogen bonding is a phenomenological concept that
provides a good platform for the qualitative description of a variety of water’s
anomalies.
1 However, although this concept allows one to explain key properties
of water, the vague definition [1], and multiple parameters that are used for the
parametrization of the bonds, do not assume a simple microscopic picture for the
atomic-molecular dynamics, hindering a quantitative description of the majority of
the (electro)dynamic parameters of water and ice. A special problem is the abundance of ambiguous descriptions of the parameters of the hydrogen bonds, such as
shape, lifetime, length, directionality, and energy. In general, the concept of “bond” is
probably not the best way to describe the molecular dynamics, as it does not account
for the exchange of atoms between molecular species or the fact that electrostatic
interactions are a function of distance, which is controlled by the thermal fluctuations.
1 See a comprehensive description of the anomalies of water on the website of Prof. Martin Chaplin:
http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
V. Artemov, The Electrodynamics of Water and Ice, Springer Series
in Chemical Physics 124, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72424-5_4
131
The Dielectric Properties and Dynamic
Structure of Water and Ice
Abstract The electrodynamic properties of water are inextricably linked with
its structure and molecular dynamics. This chapter discusses a phenomenological
approach that provides a microscopic description of the various electrodynamic
parameters of water and ice on the same basis. The parameters related to the microscopic dynamics of water (such as the molecular lifetime, the rate of proton exchange,
autoprotolysis, and the mechanism of dielectric polarization) are discussed in fine
details and compared with those derived from independent experimental data. The
microscopic description of the phenomenon of dielectric relaxation and an explanation for the anomalous behavior of dielectric constant are given. In addition, questions
on why microwaves are absorbed by water and pass through other dielectrics, and
why pH is so dependent on temperature are addressed.
4.1 Problems of Describing the Dynamics of Water
on the Basis of Hydrogen Bonds
As mentioned in Chap. 1, hydrogen bonding is a phenomenological concept that
provides a good platform for the qualitative description of a variety of water’s
anomalies.
1 However, although this concept allows one to explain key properties
of water, the vague definition [1], and multiple parameters that are used for the
parametrization of the bonds, do not assume a simple microscopic picture for the
atomic-molecular dynamics, hindering a quantitative description of the majority of
the (electro)dynamic parameters of water and ice. A special problem is the abundance of ambiguous descriptions of the parameters of the hydrogen bonds, such as
shape, lifetime, length, directionality, and energy. In general, the concept of “bond” is
probably not the best way to describe the molecular dynamics, as it does not account
for the exchange of atoms between molecular species or the fact that electrostatic
interactions are a function of distance, which is controlled by the thermal fluctuations.
1 See a comprehensive description of the anomalies of water on the website of Prof. Martin Chaplin:
http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
V. Artemov, The Electrodynamics of Water and Ice, Springer Series
in Chemical Physics 124, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72424-5_4
131