# Video of water freezing at molecular level? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-water-freezing-at-molecular-level/394028 "2007-02-28T15:44:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-water-freezing-at-molecular-level/394028/1 "2007-02-28T15:44:27Z")
Some people like to watch paint dry, I would like to see water freeze. Is there video available at the molecular level of water freezing? Or at least very microscopic? A web search turns up a lot of links of macroscopic views of rapid freezing. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-water-freezing-at-molecular-level/394028/2 "2007-02-28T16:45:10Z")
Check out [this](https://www.hado.net/) website. It’s very nice and may have what you are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-water-freezing-at-molecular-level/394028/3 "2007-02-28T16:48:23Z")
That would be a pretty cool video, even in time-lapse. I’m sure there is one somewhere, I can’t help you with a link, though. The coolest part would be watching the molecules form the “ring” that makes water expand when it forms! ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-water-freezing-at-molecular-level/394028/4 "2007-02-28T19:06:58Z")
Actual videos of molecular simulations of water freezing are very hard to come by. Ice nucleation is a very low-probability event on the scales of MD sims (1,000,000 atoms or so). However, this paper on the subject ([here](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v416/n6879/full/416409a.html)) has some beautiful visualizations. Especially Figure 2. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-water-freezing-at-molecular-level/394028/5 "2007-03-01T03:30:48Z")
[QUOTE=Crescend] However, this paper on the subject. . . [/QUOTE] Thanks, although it requires a subscription, site license, or $30 fee. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-water-freezing-at-molecular-level/394028/6 "2007-03-01T03:51:16Z")
It’s usually considered well within the realm of fair use to copy and share such figures (with proper citation) so I went ahead and grabbed the figure and uploaded it on Photobucket. Very spiffy image. Nice find, **Crescend** > [@](#): > > [FIGURE 2. The hydrogen bond network structure of water at a given time in inherent structures.](http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g159/lazybratsche/416409a-f2.jpg) > > a, At time t = 208 ns; b, at t = 256 ns; c, at t = 290 ns; d, at t = 320 ns; and e, at t = 500 ns. Lines indicate hydrogen bonds among water molecules, and the intermolecular bonds of water participating in such hydrogen bonds. Bright blue lines indicate ‘long-lasting’ hydrogen bonds, which have persisted longer than a specified threshold value before a given time t. The brightest blue lines are those with a lifetime longer than 2 ns (taulife \> 2 ns). An initial nucleus is formed in the region circled in b. Molecular dynamics simulation of the ice nucleation and growth process leading to water freezing Masakazu Matsumoto, Shinji Saito and Iwao Ohmine Nature 416, 409-413(28 March 2002) ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-water-freezing-at-molecular-level/394028/7 "2007-03-01T07:19:28Z")
Whoops, I thought that that particular article was openly available. I could access it from home without using my university proxy. Thanks for mirroring the figure, **lazybratsche**. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-of-water-freezing-at-molecular-level/394028/8 "2007-03-01T09:19:56Z")
[QUOTE=Phlosphr] Check out [this](https://www.hado.net/) website. It’s very nice and may have what you are looking for. [/QUOTE] Am I mistaken, or is that website selling ‘structured water’ machines?