Temperature

Anomalies related to the unusual behavior of water at various temperatures -- from its extraordinarily high melting and boiling points to the Mpemba effect.

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Water has an unusually high melting point

The melting point of water is 0 degrees Celsius -- much higher than expected for comparable molecules.

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Water has an unusually high boiling point

The boiling point of water at 100 degrees Celsius is anomalously high compared to similar hydrides.

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Water has an unusually high critical point

The critical point of water is unusually high at 374 degrees Celsius and 218 atm.

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Water has two liquid phases and a second critical point

At approximately -91 degrees Celsius, a second critical point is suspected where two liquid phases coexist.

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Liquid water is easily supercooled but difficult to vitrify

Water can remain liquid far below 0 degrees Celsius, yet forming amorphous ice is difficult.

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Liquid water exists at extremely low temperatures and freezes upon warming

Under certain conditions, water can be liquid at very low temperatures and crystallize upon warming.

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Liquid water can be easily superheated

Water can be heated above its boiling point without boiling.

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Hot water can freeze faster than cold water -- the Mpemba effect

Under certain conditions, hot water freezes faster than cold -- a phenomenon known since antiquity.

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Warm water vibrates longer than cold water

The OH stretching vibration in warm water decays more slowly than in cold water.

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Water molecules shrink with rising temperature and expand with rising pressure

Counterintuitively, individual water molecules become smaller when heated.

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A liquid-liquid transition occurs at approximately 330 K

At around 57 degrees Celsius, water shows signs of a transition between two liquid states.