Separation and Connection: The Continuance of Water and Hydrogen Bonds

Questioning whether or not evolution has a final product relates to the connection between hydrogen and oxygen bonding to create water molecules. As Professor Hammer discussed in lecture, the special properties of hydrogen are due to the fact that hydrogen exists between water molecules. The water molecules are connected, but only temporarily. Water molecules are easily broken, and therefore directly relates to the question posed in the previous lab in week one. In evolution there is never a final product, similarly, water molecules go through a constant cycle of change when they come together and separate. There are both constraints and innovations in the exploration of water that could be examined and re-examined.

What we found was overall pretty interesting. In the cup with salt and water, we saw that the salt had the tendency to sink down to the bottom, regardless of its initial mixing. The water separated from the salt without mixing. However, we saw the adhesive properties of water at work when looking at the cup with the sand. The sand mixed with the water and formed a mud like substance, something you would find in a tide pool or right after the tide has gone out at the beach. The third cup, mixing clay and water, produced results that combined the first two results. Similar to the sand, part of the clay became adhesive with the water. On the other hand, there was a big block of clay still in the cup not becoming adhesive like the salt was. Our group concluded that over time, the salt and the clay would  probably dissolve into the water. In our exploration of water, our findings helped us to understand the constraints and innovations in water and the constant reoccurrence of bonds. Experimenting with different substances (i.e. salt, sand, and clay) the properties and characteristics were exposed.