Water emergent properties

One important point of disagreement among reductionists and antireductionists concerns emergent properties. The latter are properties possessed by a complex whole but not by its parts. Van Regenmortel lists a whole series of emergent properties. First on his list is the viscosity of water. Water is viscous, while individual molecules of water have no such property. The issue is which emergent properties can be explained in terms... 

The relation between emergent properties and the properties of the components has two sides. One can ask whether the properties of water (or any other molecule) can be explained a posteriori in terms of the properties of the components or instead pose the question of whether the emergent properties can be foreseen a priori from the properties of the components. Suppose that we have only hydrogen and oxygen (we do not know anything about the existence of water). Can the formation of water and its properties be predicted If we have only amino acids, can the existence of myoglobin and its properties be predicted ... 

The new model of accidents introduced in part II of this book incorporates the basic systems theory idea of hierarchical levels, where constraints or lack of constraints at the higher levels control or allow lower-level behavior. Safety is treated as an emergent property at each of these levels. Safety depends on the enforcement of constraints on the behavior of the components in the system, including constraints on their potential interactions. Safety in the batch chemical reactor in the previous chapter, for example, depends on the enforcement of a constraint on the relationship between the state of the catalyst valve and the water valve. 

The success of these implementations (discussed in Secs. 2.5 and 2.6) firmed up my conviction that this principle is indeed an essential feature of the water-water interaction in producing the characteristic and outstanding properties of water. The concept of the structure of water is still useful, not as a fundamental principle but as an emergent property of the principle. A qualitative usage of the concept of the structure of water abounds in the literature. In Sec. 2.7,1 shall discuss a possible definition of the structure of water based on the water-water pair potential. Also,... 

The picture that emerges from the Car-Parrinello simulations is reminiscent of the characteristic structural features of the solid. The liquid is characterized by hydrogen-bonded chains of an average length of about 6 HF molecules. As in the case of water, dynamical properties such as the selfdiffusion coefficient and the orientation relaxation times are in very good agreemoit with experimental findings. 

Water is among the most important compounds on Earth without it, life in any form is unimaginable. The unique properties of water—its tendency to be a liquid at room temperature, its ability to dissolve other compounds, its expansion upon freezing, and its abundance-are all related to its importance. Like all compounds, the properties of water arise from the molecules that compose it. To see how the properties of water emerge from the properties of water molecules, we must discuss one other important concept bond polarity. 

The main assumptions of the simple bulk conductivity model are valid at high water contents. This wording implies that a lower characteristic value of water content exists, below which the model is invalid. This value emerges as an important membrane characteristic. It will be discussed below, based on an assessment of water sorption properties and dynamics of proton and water transport. 

Petroleum sulfonates are widely used as solubilizers, dispersants (qv), emulsifiers, and corrosion inhibitors (see Corrosion and corrosion inhibitors). More recentiy, they have emerged as the principal surfactant associated with expanding operations in enhanced oil recovery (66). Alkaline-earth salts of petroleum sulfonates are used in large volumes as additives in lubricating fluids for sludge dispersion, detergency, corrosion inhibition, and micellar solubilization of water. The chemistry and properties of petroleum sulfonates have been described (67,68). Principal U.S. manufacturers include Exxon and Shell, which produce natural petroleum sulfonates, and Pilot, which produces synthetics. 

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