Knowledge (XXG)

Polywater

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97:, heard about Fedyakin's experiments. He improved on the method to produce the new water, and though he still produced very small quantities of this mysterious material, he did so substantially faster than Fedyakin did. Investigations of the material properties showed a substantially lower freezing point of −40 °C or less, a boiling point of 150 °C or greater, a density of approx. 1.1 to 1.2 g/cm, and increased expansion with increasing temperature. The results were published in Soviet science journals, and short summaries were published in 607: 617: 466:
Challenged by critics to let impartial scientists analyze his polywater, Deryagin had turned over 25 tiny samples of the substance to investigators of the Soviet Academy of Sciences' Institute of Chemical Physics. The results, which were published in the journal, showed that Deryagin's polywater was
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Water is so essential, so abundant, so simple in composition and so intensively studied over the centuries that it seems a most unlikely substance to provide a major scientific surprise. Nevertheless, this is precisely what has recently occurred. American chemists have confirmed that there is a form
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Western scientists were frankly skeptical. Russian Chemists N. Fedyakin and Boris Deryagin claimed to have produced a mysterious new substance, a form of water so stable, it boiled only at about 1,000°F., or five times the boiling temperature of natural water. It did not evaporate. It did not freeze
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had taken notice of Western attempts to recreate the substance and sparked fears of a "polywater gap" between the United States and Soviet Union. Increased press attention also brought with it increased scientific attention, and as early as 1970 doubts about its authenticity were being circulated.
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It has been suggested that polywater should have been dismissed on theoretical grounds. The laws of thermodynamics predicted that, since polywater had a higher boiling point than ordinary water, it meant it was more stable, and thus all of Earth's water should have turned spontaneously into
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Another wave of research followed, this time more tightly controlled. Invariably, polywater could no longer be made. Chemical analysis found the samples of polywater to be contaminated with other substances (explaining the changes in melting and boiling points due to
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of water with properties quite different from that of the fluid everyone takes for granted. Polywater as this substance has been named is an organized aggregate or polymer of ordinary water molecules but it has very different properties from its ...
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A scientific furore followed. Some experiments carried out were able to reproduce Derjaguin's findings, while others failed. Several theories were advanced to explain the phenomenon. Some proposed it was the cause for increasing resistance on
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During this time, several people questioned the authenticity of what had come to be known in the West as polywater. The main concern was contamination of the water, but the papers went to great lengths to note the care taken to avoid this.
273:. In the original episode, a scientific research outpost falls victim to polywater, which causes the crew to become so incapacitated that they all died after shutting off environmental controls in the compound. In the sequel, a 543:Федякин (Fedyakin), Н.Н. (N.N.) (1962). "Изменение структуры воды при конденсации в капиллярах" [Changes in the structure of water during condensation in capillaries.]. 191:
game at the lab and found it had identical properties. He then published a paper suggesting polywater was nothing more than water with small amounts of biological impurities.
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remarked that if such a material existed, then an animal would exist that would ingest water and excrete polywater, using the energy released from the process to survive.
1082: 214:, the anomalous properties of the resulting water vanished, and even the scientists who had originally advanced the case for polywater agreed it did not exist. 629:
Good news The U.S. has apparently closed the polywater gap and the Pentagon is bankrolling efforts to push this country's polywater technology ahead of the ...
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By 1973 it was found to be illusory, being just water with any number of common compounds contaminating it. Today, polywater is best known as an example of
151:, while others predicted that if polywater were to contact ordinary water, it would convert that water into polywater, echoing the doomsday scenario in 1024: 608:"U.S. Begins Efforts To Exceed the USSR In Polywater Science. Pentagon Picks Firm to Study Water-Like Fluid That Boils At 400, Was Isolated in 1961" 1107: 1097: 294:. It features an animal composed entirely of polywater, with the metabolism described by Richard Feynman. (The title of the story is a pun on " 135:, a popular media term indicating a possible capability "gap", or discrepancy, between the US and the USSR, popularized by media hype of the " 853: 520: 443: 370: 931: 661: 723: 642: 1022:; Zorin, Z. M.; Rabinovich, Ya. I.; et al. (1974). "Results of analytical investigation of the composition of "anomalous" water". 563: 319:
There is a company named American Polywater Corporation, which is unrelated to the hypothesized form of water. The company is based in
311:. The story revolves around the use of a type of polywater to make people controllable and incapable of independent thought or action. 223:
in which they wrote; "these properties should be attributed to impurities rather than to the existence of polymeric water molecules".
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4. M. De Paz, A. Pozzo, and M. E. Vallauri, Mass spectrometric evidence against "polywater" Chem. Phys. Letters, 7, October 1970
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badly contaminated by organic compounds, including lipids and phospholipids, which are ingredients of human perspiration.
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Deryagin, B. V.; Fedyakin, N. N. (1962). "Special properties and viscosity of liquids condensed in capillaries".
485: 76: 949: 1087: 612: 72: 112:. There, he presented the work again, and this time English scientists took note of what he referred to as 303: 270: 196: 128: 31: 1092: 394:– though at −40°F., with little or no expansion, it hardened into a glassy substance, quite unlike ice. 320: 143:", during periods when the USSR appeared to be outstripping the US in numbers of these various weapons. 1033: 989: 879: 823: 735: 673: 230: 211: 40: 200: 453: 380: 210:
When the experiments which had initially produced polywater were repeated with thoroughly cleaned
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carried out infrared spectrum analysis, which showed polywater to be mostly chlorine and sodium.
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vessel is discovered adrift, its crew frozen in various states due to polywater intoxication.
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during the late 1960s, first described by Soviet scientist Nikolai Fedyakin. By 1969 the
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In August 1973, Derjaguin and N. V. Churaev published a letter in the journal
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showed it also contained small particles of various solids – from silica to
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physicist Nikolai Fedyakin, working at the Technological Institute of
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Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR Physics Chemistry
161:. By the 1970s, polywater was well known in the general population. 104:
In 1966, Derjaguin travelled to England for the "Discussions of the
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Polywater is the central idea of the 1972 espionage/thriller novel
63:, performed measurements on the properties of water which had been 724:""Polywater" and Sweat: Similarities between the Infrared Spectra" 564:"Polywater, the Soviet Scientific Secret That Made the World Gulp" 347: 84: 27: 812:(January–February 1992). "Case Studies in Pathological Science". 913: 101:
in English, but Western scientists took no notice of the work.
932:"Interview with Erik Freyser, President and COO at Polywater" 660:
Rousseau, Denis L.; Porto, Sergio P. S. (March 27, 1970).
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Hyle: International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry
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that there was a so-called "polywater gap" with the
863:The above paper cites this review from Eisenberg: 409: 233:and has since written on other examples as well. 67:in, or repeatedly forced through, narrow quartz 8: 641:Christian, P. A.; Berka, L. H. (June 1973). 365: 363: 1103:Science and technology in the Soviet Union 288:") appeared in the February 1971 issue of 1001: 1025:Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 839: 837: 722:Rousseau, Denis L. (January 15, 1971). 359: 237:polywater, instead of just part of it. 229:used polywater as a classic example of 404: 402: 83:than ordinary water – about that of a 16:Hypothetical polymerized form of water 1083:Discovery and invention controversies 643:"How You Can Grow Your Own Polywater" 183:undertook an experiment with his own 7: 507:Greenberg, Arthur (1 January 2009). 479:Butler, S. T. (September 17, 1973). 207:, explaining its greater viscosity. 532:– via Google Books (Preview). 379:. December 19, 1969. Archived from 269:, 1987) involve forms of polywater 199:), and examination of polywater by 119:By 1969, the concept had spread to 562:Giaimo, Cara (21 September 2015). 452:. October 19, 1970. Archived from 14: 662:"Polywater: Polymer or Artifact?" 950:"American Polywater Corporation" 280:The story "Polywater Doodle" by 616:. June 30, 1969. Archived from 291:Analog Science Fiction and Fact 1108:Obsolete theories in chemistry 788:. The MIT Press. p. 140. 481:"Polywater Debate Fizzles Out" 284:(writing under the pseudonym " 266:Star Trek: The Next Generation 1: 1098:Water chemistry controversies 892:10.1126/science.213.4512.1104 686:10.1126/science.167.3926.1715 30:that was the subject of much 1046:10.1016/0021-9797(74)90053-8 748:10.1126/science.171.3967.170 513:Chemistry: Decade by Decade 149:trans-Atlantic phone cables 1124: 486:The Sydney Morning Herald 259:, 1966) and its sequel, " 127:. There was fear by the 496:– via Google News. 444:"Doubts about Polywater" 613:The Wall Street Journal 784:Franks, Felix (1981). 304:A Report from Group 17 197:colligative properties 129:United States military 32:scientific controversy 936:Transformers Magazine 321:Stillwater, Minnesota 976:"Polywater reviewed" 420:. September 22, 1969 231:pathological science 77:lower freezing point 73:higher boiling point 41:pathological science 1038:1974JCIS...46..437D 994:1983Natur.301....9D 884:1981Sci...213.1104F 878:(4512): 1104–1105. 828:1992AmSci..80...54R 740:1971Sci...171..170R 678:1970Sci...167.1715R 672:(3926): 1715–1719. 649:. pp. 105–107. 620:on January 27, 2012 383:on 27 December 2009 201:electron microscopy 22:was a hypothesized 815:American Scientist 810:Rousseau, Denis L. 456:on 1 December 2010 417:The New York Times 296:Polly Wolly Doodle 99:Chemical Abstracts 79:, and much higher 734:(3967): 170–172. 522:978-1-4381-0978-7 371:"Unnatural Water" 309:Robert C. O'Brien 1115: 1049: 1020:Derjaguin, B. V. 1015: 1005: 1003:10.1038/301009d0 958: 957: 954:Power Technology 946: 940: 939: 928: 922: 921: 910: 904: 903: 862: 841: 832: 831: 806: 800: 799: 781: 775: 774: 772: 770: 719: 713: 712: 710: 708: 657: 651: 650: 638: 632: 631: 626: 625: 604: 598: 597: 585: 579: 578: 576: 574: 559: 553: 552: 540: 534: 533: 531: 529: 504: 498: 497: 495: 493: 476: 470: 469: 463: 461: 440: 434: 433: 427: 425: 413: 406: 397: 396: 390: 388: 367: 187:after playing a 1123: 1122: 1118: 1117: 1116: 1114: 1113: 1112: 1073: 1072: 1018: 970: 967: 965:Further reading 962: 961: 948: 947: 943: 930: 929: 925: 912: 911: 907: 866:David Eisenberg 864: 843: 842: 835: 808: 807: 803: 796: 783: 782: 778: 768: 766: 721: 720: 716: 706: 704: 659: 658: 654: 647:Popular Science 640: 639: 635: 623: 621: 606: 605: 601: 587: 586: 582: 572: 570: 561: 560: 556: 542: 541: 537: 527: 525: 523: 506: 505: 501: 491: 489: 478: 477: 473: 459: 457: 442: 441: 437: 423: 421: 408: 407: 400: 386: 384: 369: 368: 361: 356: 333:Hexagonal water 329: 317: 282:Howard L. Myers 247: 239:Richard Feynman 114:anomalous water 106:Faraday Society 91:Boris Derjaguin 69:capillary tubes 49: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1121: 1119: 1111: 1110: 1105: 1100: 1095: 1090: 1088:Forms of water 1085: 1075: 1074: 1071: 1070: 1067: 1050: 1032:(3): 437–441. 1016: 988:(5895): 9–10. 966: 963: 960: 959: 941: 923: 905: 845:Henry H. Bauer 833: 801: 794: 776: 714: 652: 633: 599: 580: 554: 547:(in Russian). 535: 521: 499: 471: 435: 398: 358: 357: 355: 352: 351: 350: 345: 340: 335: 328: 325: 316: 313: 251:The Naked Time 249:The episodes " 246: 243: 227:Denis Rousseau 181:Denis Rousseau 167:Denis Rousseau 48: 45: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1120: 1109: 1106: 1104: 1101: 1099: 1096: 1094: 1091: 1089: 1086: 1084: 1081: 1080: 1078: 1068: 1066: 1065:0-262-06073-6 1062: 1058: 1055: 1051: 1047: 1043: 1039: 1035: 1031: 1027: 1026: 1021: 1017: 1013: 1009: 1004: 999: 995: 991: 987: 983: 982: 977: 973: 972:Derjaguin, B. 969: 968: 964: 955: 951: 945: 942: 937: 933: 927: 924: 919: 915: 909: 906: 901: 897: 893: 889: 885: 881: 877: 873: 872: 867: 860: 856: 855: 850: 846: 840: 838: 834: 829: 825: 821: 817: 816: 811: 805: 802: 797: 795:0-262-06073-6 791: 787: 780: 777: 765: 761: 757: 753: 749: 745: 741: 737: 733: 729: 725: 718: 715: 703: 699: 695: 691: 687: 683: 679: 675: 671: 667: 663: 656: 653: 648: 644: 637: 634: 630: 619: 615: 614: 609: 603: 600: 596:(2): 808–811. 595: 591: 584: 581: 569: 568:Atlas Obscura 565: 558: 555: 550: 546: 539: 536: 524: 518: 514: 510: 503: 500: 488: 487: 482: 475: 472: 468: 455: 451: 450: 449:Time magazine 445: 439: 436: 432: 419: 418: 412: 405: 403: 399: 395: 382: 378: 377: 376:Time magazine 372: 366: 364: 360: 353: 349: 346: 344: 341: 339: 336: 334: 331: 330: 326: 324: 322: 314: 312: 310: 306: 305: 299: 297: 293: 292: 287: 283: 278: 276: 272: 268: 267: 262: 261:The Naked Now 258: 257: 252: 244: 242: 240: 234: 232: 228: 224: 222: 221: 215: 213: 208: 206: 205:phospholipids 202: 198: 192: 190: 186: 182: 178: 176: 172: 168: 162: 160: 159: 154: 153:Kurt Vonnegut 150: 144: 142: 138: 134: 130: 126: 122: 117: 115: 111: 107: 102: 100: 96: 92: 88: 86: 82: 78: 74: 70: 66: 62: 58: 54: 51:In 1961, the 46: 44: 42: 37: 36:popular press 33: 29: 25: 21: 1093:Liquid water 1053: 1052:Franks, F., 1029: 1023: 985: 979: 953: 944: 935: 926: 917: 908: 875: 869: 858: 852: 822:(1): 54–63. 819: 813: 804: 785: 779: 767:. 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Index

polymerized
water
scientific controversy
popular press
pathological science
Soviet
Kostroma
Russia
condensed
capillary tubes
higher boiling point
lower freezing point
viscosity
syrup
Boris Derjaguin
Moscow
Faraday Society
Nottingham
newspapers
magazines
United States military
Soviet Union
bomber gap
missile gap
trans-Atlantic phone cables
Kurt Vonnegut
Cat's Cradle
Denis Rousseau
Sergio Porto
Bell Labs

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