Evidence for liquid water during the high-density to low-density amorphous ice transition.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 19258453.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.0812481106 and PMC identifier 2660733.
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Abstract
Polymorphism of water has been extensively studied, but controversy still exists over the phase transition between high-density amorphous (HDA) and low-density amorphous (LDA) ice. We report the phase behavior of HDA ice inside high-pressure cryocooled protein crystals. Using X-ray diffraction, we demonstrate that the intermediate states in the temperature range from 80 to 170 K can be reconstructed as a linear combination of HDA and LDA ice, suggesting a first-order transition. We found evidence for a liquid state of water during the ice transition based on the protein crystallographic data. These observations open the possibility that the HDA ice induced by high-pressure cryocooling is a genuine glassy form of high-density liquid.