There Is Such Thing As Dry Water

Don’t ask me what voodoo they used but scientists have created dry water. Well, they originally invented it back in 1968 but they’ve recently re-discovered it and this time, found an actual use for it.

First, dry water, how does that even make sense? Ben Carter, Ph.D, the researcher, explains:

[It's] known as “dry water” because it consists of 95 percent water and yet is a dry powder. Each powder particle contains a water droplet surrounded by modified silica, the stuff that makes up ordinary beach sand. The silica coating prevents the water droplets from combining and turning back into a liquid. The result is a fine powder that can slurp up gases, which chemically combine with the water molecules to form what chemists term a hydrate.

So what can we use it for? Apparently, those fine grains of water do a magnificent job in absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, which if you didn’t know contributes to global warming.

There’s also other potential uses for dry water such as jumpstarting chemical reactions and providing a safer way to transport and store harmful industrial materials. Which is all fine by me, I’m just stunned that I can say dry water and not have my brain explode. Hmm, I wonder if I can swim in it. [Science Daily]

Send an email to Casey Chan, the author of this post, at cchan@gizmodo.com.

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