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Physical chemistry

Water's wafer-thin surface

Nature volume 474, pages 168–169 (2011)Cite this article

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A combination of vibrational spectroscopy and molecular calculations reveals that only the surface layer of water at the interface with air has a distinctly different structure from the bulk liquid. See Letter p.192

The next time you drink a glass of water, take a moment to consider the surface of the liquid. It might surprise you to learn that the molecular structure of this seemingly unremarkable air–water interface has long been the subject of controversial theories. On page 192 of this issue, Stiopkin et al.1 weigh into the debate by reporting the results of spectroscopic and theoretical studies of this interface. Their findings strongly contradict the recurring idea that external interfaces with water, or compounds dissolved in it, can generate long-range molecular order in the liquid.

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Figure 1: Structure of the interface between liquid water and air.

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  1. Pavel Jungwirth is at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo nam. 2, 16610 Prague 6, Czech Republic.,

    Pavel Jungwirth

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  1. Pavel Jungwirth
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Correspondence to Pavel Jungwirth.

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Jungwirth, P. Water's wafer-thin surface. Nature 474, 168–169 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/474168a

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