Icy Hydrogen

Accidental discoveries can be among the most powerful in science, as attested to with the classic example of the discovery of penicillin. A research team led by Dr. Wendy Mao of Los Alamos Laboratory along with Dr. Ho-kwang (David) Mao & Dr. Russel Hemley of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, may have made just such a discovery.

Mao's team compressed water between a pair of diamond anvils to a pressure of 17 gigapascals (170,000 times normal pressure at sea level), then bombarded it with high-energy x-rays. The water molecules under these conditions split apart, reforming into a solid alloy of H₂ and O₂ molecules in some sort of crystalline structure (more study is required to determine the precise structure).

The key was that the team stumbled on the right energy level of x-radiation, about 10,000 electron volts under a pressure of at least 1 gigapascal, for the structure to form and retain its integrity.

Researchers predict that the new alloy may provide information about the behavior of water in extreme temperature and energy conditions, as well as potentially having uses in developing new rocket fuels, since it must contain a large amount of energy to exist.

Related Articles:

• Carnegie Institution of Washington - Alloy of Hydrogen and Oxygen Made of Water
• Science - Putting Hydrogen on Ice