Gray Matter: Finding Water Where It's Least Expected
Flash Fried Hot oil may release water hidden in dry starchy foods, such as mung bean noodles and shrimp chips, converting it to steam and causing them to puff up. Mike WalkerFree the trapped H20 for some deep-fried deliciousness. Water hides itself really well. Its molecules can form weak chemical bonds with many substances, allowing it to remain concealed within their crystal structures. There's no sign of water's presence-no dampness, no softness, no anything-until something triggers its release. Quite a few rocks and minerals contain water, but you would never know it from looking at them. Turquoise, for example, is made up of copper and aluminum phosphates. Remarkably, for every copper atom in turquoise, there are four water molecules. Heat it enough and this water can be driven out, discoloring the stone. The difference between water merely soaked into a material, such as cloth, and water that is chemically bound lies in how...