Foreword
Water is a fascinating liquid and is the critical component of all forms of life on this
planet. Both water and ice have anomalous structures, which have always been the
subject of intense study. It is the ensuing unusual properties of water, which enable
stability of many biological structures of both proteins and lipids to be maintained
but also contribute in a large way to their function. Many physicists, biophysicists,
biochemists, and chemists have been aware of this for a very long time and
although the structure and properties of water have been discussed in numerous
texts, there is a dearth of texts dealing solely with the structure and properties of
water and ice. As an electrochemist, I am particularly aware that water is an
essential component to many electrochemical reactions playing a large part also in
biological charge transfer, so a text which brings together a synthesis of the nature
of water and ice and their electrical properties as well as their interaction with
electromagnetic radiation is particularly timely. This book by Vasily Artemov
entitled “The Electrodynamics of Water and Ice” covers this whole subject in an
innovative and stimulating way with elegant historical introductions to each
chapter, which positively distinguishes this text.
The book is divided into five chapters. The Chap. 1 is a historical review of the
structures of water and ice covering all the basic work associated with this including
the radial distribution function, pH of solutions and conductivity,
molecular-dynamic modeling of water and ice, with a very good summary at the
end. Chapter 2 continues this theme dealing with the interaction of electromagnetic
waves with water. Dielectric spectroscopy is included here and of course encompasses dielectric relaxation and the static dielectric constant of water connected with
the water’s electrical structure and properties. This was especially interesting from
my point of view since I had done extensive work on the dielectric relaxation of
lipid films in water. Dr. Artemov then follows this logically with Chap. 3 on the
interaction of electromagnetic radiation with ice and then Chap. 4, which deals with
the microscopic interpretation of dielectric properties of water and ice. The final
Chap. 5 discusses the electrodynamics of electrolyte solutions and their conductivity. Particularly “eye catching” are the sections dealing with the electrodynamics
of water and confined water and the behavior of water in strong electric fields.
v
Water is a fascinating liquid and is the critical component of all forms of life on this
planet. Both water and ice have anomalous structures, which have always been the
subject of intense study. It is the ensuing unusual properties of water, which enable
stability of many biological structures of both proteins and lipids to be maintained
but also contribute in a large way to their function. Many physicists, biophysicists,
biochemists, and chemists have been aware of this for a very long time and
although the structure and properties of water have been discussed in numerous
texts, there is a dearth of texts dealing solely with the structure and properties of
water and ice. As an electrochemist, I am particularly aware that water is an
essential component to many electrochemical reactions playing a large part also in
biological charge transfer, so a text which brings together a synthesis of the nature
of water and ice and their electrical properties as well as their interaction with
electromagnetic radiation is particularly timely. This book by Vasily Artemov
entitled “The Electrodynamics of Water and Ice” covers this whole subject in an
innovative and stimulating way with elegant historical introductions to each
chapter, which positively distinguishes this text.
The book is divided into five chapters. The Chap. 1 is a historical review of the
structures of water and ice covering all the basic work associated with this including
the radial distribution function, pH of solutions and conductivity,
molecular-dynamic modeling of water and ice, with a very good summary at the
end. Chapter 2 continues this theme dealing with the interaction of electromagnetic
waves with water. Dielectric spectroscopy is included here and of course encompasses dielectric relaxation and the static dielectric constant of water connected with
the water’s electrical structure and properties. This was especially interesting from
my point of view since I had done extensive work on the dielectric relaxation of
lipid films in water. Dr. Artemov then follows this logically with Chap. 3 on the
interaction of electromagnetic radiation with ice and then Chap. 4, which deals with
the microscopic interpretation of dielectric properties of water and ice. The final
Chap. 5 discusses the electrodynamics of electrolyte solutions and their conductivity. Particularly “eye catching” are the sections dealing with the electrodynamics
of water and confined water and the behavior of water in strong electric fields.
v