dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaWhat is special about water as a matrix of life?
| Authors | Lawrence R. Pratt, Andrew Pohorille, D. Asthagiri |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0701282 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0701282 |
Abstract
Water offers a large temperature domain of stable liquid, and the characteristic hydrophobic effects are first a consequence of the temperature insensitivity of equation-of-state features of the aqueous medium, compared to other liquids. On this basis, the known aqueous media and conditions offer low risk compared to alternatives as a matrix to which familiar molecular biological structures and processes have adapted. The current molecular-scale understanding of hydrophobic hydration is not conformant in detail with a standard structural entropy rationalization. That classic pictorial explanation may serve as a mnemonic, but isn't necessary. A more defensible view is that peculiar hydrophobic effects can be comprehended by examination of engineering parameters characterizing liquid water.
{
"annotation_id": "6c6a50df-49f2-45a1-a92f-3fc0f75da496",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:01:17.242000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:01:17.242000Z",
"file_hash": "ac8c7aada07adc46fda7cc286fd50b939892cdac22e0b1a8625755079511a0ce",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "Water offers a large temperature domain of stable liquid, and the\ncharacteristic hydrophobic effects are first a consequence of the temperature\ninsensitivity of equation-of-state features of the aqueous medium, compared to\nother liquids. On this basis, the known aqueous media and conditions offer low\nrisk compared to alternatives as a matrix to which familiar molecular\nbiological structures and processes have adapted. The current molecular-scale\nunderstanding of hydrophobic hydration is not conformant in detail with a\nstandard structural entropy rationalization. That classic pictorial explanation\nmay serve as a mnemonic, but isn\u0027t necessary. A more defensible view is that\npeculiar hydrophobic effects can be comprehended by examination of engineering\nparameters characterizing liquid water.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0701282",
"authors": [
"Lawrence R. Pratt",
"Andrew Pohorille",
"D. Asthagiri"
],
"categories": [
"physics.bio-ph",
"physics.chem-ph"
],
"title": "What is special about water as a matrix of life?",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0701282"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "12f1e5ae-ebf3-4792-90c5-13b32fce6b02",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}