Water

We know it is important, we know it is crucial, we know it is indispensable and yet we remain irresponsible while using it.

I can harp on and on about how it is important to conserve water, make sure that potable water is available to all etc. etc. except that I fail to identify with anything that has to do with people anymore. I mean at least in India do what you want but people are just not gonna improve. Fine the government never really made dams or divert water to areas which are perennially under drought, but what did the people do? They are just as content making the women do the walking and getting the water.

What interests me though is the chemical itself. The molecule, their collection, its properties. For example I was left amazed that the IR spectra of pure liquid water is not yet explained. For a molecule which is so simple, this is mind boggling. And what about the very weird physical properties? Expands on cooling, expands on heating as well!!! Weird melting and boiling points and so on. And that too so neat 0 as freezing, 100 as boiling (is this coz of the scale itself?? I dunno!!)

But something of even more interest is the structure that liquid water has. The molecules are always in association with on another via hydrogen bonds and thus liquid water isn't just loosely packed water molecules but instead a proper dynamic lattice of water molecules. This has huge implications in protein folding. No one quite knows exactly how a protein folds and attains its native structure. I have a few ideas of my own on this, one of which involves lots of water molecules..!!

I guess like last year, my this years Blog Action Day post is also defeating its own purpose, but then if this has gotten me back to my old blog then the purpose is served, at least for me!