Review of The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor by Gerald H. Pollack

The book is unlike any other that the author of this review has ever read, and most people will likely feel the same way upon reading it. The title itself is captivating and fascinating, to say the least. Having been in the hydrology profession for over four decades, the author admits having never even heard of or come across the term fourth phase of water. Thus, reading this book was a journey full of joy and insights—it was an education. The more the author read, the more convinced he became that the book is a must read, and its contents must somehow be integrated into hydrology curricula. The book is beautifully written with enlightening illustrations, but for a hydrologist it will not be an easy read.

Before reviewing the subject matter of the book, it is appropriate to define what this fourth phase of water is. This fourth phase is defined by the exclusion zone (EZ) that forms next to submersed materials and is a large zone of water. It is called exclusion zone because it excludes virtually everything. The EZ is a charge zone and is distinctively different from the bulk water. Its charge is significant and is commonly negative, whereas the bulk water has a complementary positive charge.

The subject matter of the book is divided into five sections containing 18 chapters. The first section, comprising three chapters, describes a multitude of illuminating water riddles. Chapter 1 discusses many phenomena that are often seen in both the laboratory and the field but are difficult to explain. A few examples of such phenomena in the field are as follows: cracking of concrete by upwelling trees, movement of water upward from roots through narrow vertical columns, swelling of an ankle upon breaking, slipperiness of ice, persistence of waves over long distances, firmness of wet sands for building sand sculptures, diapers holding water 50 times their weight, freezing of warm water more rapidly than cold water, spreading of water droplets on surfaces, walking on water, formation of clouds as discrete entities, floating of ice, yogurt holding together, and so on. Some examples from the laboratory include the following: formation of a water bridge, floating of water droplets, Kelvin’s discharge, and occurrence of migrating microspheres. This chapter sets the stage for what is to come in the succeeding chapters. It emphasizes that the book deals with crowds of water molecules, not at the molecular level. It magnificently unravels the mysteries of the social behavior of water.

Beginning with a discussion of the current status of understanding of the social behavior of water, Chapter 2 goes on to describe the lack of understanding about water and the water memory debacle. It concludes by asking a question: why so little is known about water—the most common substance on Earth. The question itself seems baffling. Chapter 3 deals with the enigma of interfacial water. Material surfaces profoundly affect water molecules. The chapter starts out with conventional expectation, trivial explanation, existence of EZs, prevalence of EZs, exclusion of solutes, evidence on the impact of surfaces on nearby water, and order in the exclusion zone. The chapter concludes with reflections on the properties of water that are not so mundane, water-based phenomena defying explanation, and the unraveling of EZ structure in the chapters to follow.

Section II focuses on the hidden life of water and is composed of four chapters. Chapter 4 is on the fourth phase of water—the theme of the book. This is the centerpiece of the book around which other chapters gravitate. Providing a short historical background on the discovery of a new phase of water by Russian scientists and of polywater, it moves on to discuss the nature of EZ water, possible structures of water near surfaces, stacked dipolar water, crystalline water, stacking honeycomb sheets, the initial layer, lattice erosion and EZ size, positively charged EZs, and a fourth phase of water. It summarizes by formulating a structural model—the stacked-sheet model. EZs qualify as a fourth phase, because they are both distinctive and extensive.

Chapter 5 discusses batteries made from water. EZs bear charge, meaning they contain electrical potential energy. The chapter enquires whether the EZ might have a companion pole of opposite charge. It starts out with a discussion of charges beyond the EZ, whether the EZ system contains two poles instead of one, proton buildup, proton distribution, harvesting stored energy from the EZ battery, charge carriers and work production, and efficient energy extraction. The chapter concludes that aqueous regions next to hydrophilic surfaces contain EZs. Charging the water battery is the subject matter of Chapter 6. It deals with light as a fuel, dissociation of water molecules by incident energy, assembling of the exclusion zone, exclusion zone disassembling, free radicals, and life in the depths. The chapter concludes with the EZ buildup from light energy, especially infrared. The energy dissociates bulk water molecules from one another.

Water, as an engine of nature, is discussed in Chapter 7. It asks a question: Can water store energy? Providing a prelude to water as an energy converter, it discusses Piccardi’s marathon; more enigmatic oscillations; energy transformation; release of energy into different kinds of energy outputs, such as optical energy output, physicochemical work, electrical work, and mechanical work; photosynthesis-like energy conversion; and the balance of energy. The chapter concludes by revisiting the formation of EZ and the flow of energy. It summarizes that, next to hydrophilic surfaces, water molecules organize themselves into liquid crystalline arrays that can project unexpectedly far from their nucleating surfaces. The prominence of this exclusionary feature leads to the exclusion zone. The EZs usually bear a negative charge, whereas the bulk water zones carry a complementary positive charge. The source of energy needed for the formation of EZs and separating charge is radiant energy.

Section III, comprising four chapters, focuses on what moves water moves the world. Chapter 8 discusses a universal attractor—a fascinating account of why like-charged particles move toward one another. This seems like a paradox, and the chapter provides a beautiful explanation of the mechanism of paradoxical attraction. Quoting Feyman, “like likes like” because of intermediate “unlikes,” the chapter discusses long-range attractions, the role of unlike charges, force balance, and solutions and suspensions. The chapter concludes with a number of intriguing examples from atomic to cosmic scales, such as gaseous hydrogen, a two-dimensional colloidal crystal, synthesized biomolecules, schooling behavior of fish, dusty plasma, clouds, and sand castles.

Brownian motion, which most hydrologists are familiar with to some extent, is dealt with in Chapter 9. The conventional view is that the motion arises from molecular kinetic energy commonly expressed in terms of temperature. This energy is thought to drive particles endlessly to and fro in a random or Brownian fashion. Starting with the origin of this motion, the chapter discusses Einstein’s explanation of Brownian motion arising primarily from osmosis and friction and extension of gas theory to liquids, the concept of thermal motion, concerning issues that are less than settled, nonequilibrium exhibiting Brownian motion, an alternative driver of Brownian motion, the force driving Brownian motion, movement of particles to light, ensemble dynamics, and merits of light-driven mechanism. The chapter concludes with an explanation of an alternative hypothesis that incident radiant energy drives Brownian motion.

Chapter 10 offers a new light on thermal darkness. Beginning with a question as to why vortexed water cools, it goes on to discuss the origin of radiant energy which is electromagnetic energy; interaction of waves with materials; radiant emission from water; meaning of temperature and heat; cooling, heating, and radiant energy; suspicious heat and missing volume; resolution of volume/heat enigma; and vortexing. The chapter concludes with a recap of water’s thermal features and the role of EZs in production of radiant energy.

Osmosis and diffusion that mirror each other or are opposites are discussed in Chapter 11. Osmosis entails fluid movement toward particles or molecules, normally through membrane—that is, it is a process that transfers water from a place of higher concentration to a place of less concentration. On the other hand, diffusion entails particle or molecular movement through a fluid from a region of greater concentration to a region of less concentration. Beginning with a discussion of limitations of standard diffusion theory, the chapter theorizes that diffusion formulation must take into account the absorbed incident energy, along with any distracting charges. It then delves into conventional osmosis theory and its limitations, and theorizes that osmosis is energy-driven involvement of radiant energy and EZs. It goes on to discuss dams with holes, salt draw, diapers and gels, and injury and swelling, and concludes energy and charge are fundamental to osmosis and diffusion.

Section IV, consisting of six chapters, deals with aqueous forms in nature. Chapter 12 discusses the power of protonated water. Protons are positively charged particles, and their vaunting power arises from their abundance due to the EZ buildup, molecular fusion creating potential energy, and movement of charged water molecules toward negative charge and withdrawing from positive charge. Thus, proton power is essentially due to electrostatics. The chapter explores several everyday phenomena in terms of electrostatic attractions and repulsions, such as reduction of friction by proton repulsion, wedging apart of surfaces, making ice slippery, running of batteries, driving of catalysis by protons, and powering of fluid flow by protons. The chapter concludes by asserting that these phenomena are direct outcomes of EZ generation.

Chapter 13 discusses droplets and bubbles as siblings in the vesicle family, how droplets and bubbles are similar, the EZ membranes contained in droplets, and the EZ membranes surrounding bubbles. It concludes that both droplets and bubbles resemble one another, are characteristically spherical and transparent, and both can exist above or below the water surface. Chapter 14 describes the birth of a bubble and argues that droplets are progenitors of bubbles. It attempts to answer the following questions: (1) how droplets can build inside a bath of water, (2) how multiple droplets can merge to create larger droplets, (3) how larger droplets can transition into vapor-containing bubbles, and (4) how the coalescence of multiple bubbles can lead to boiling. Beginning with a discussion of the embryonic bubble concept, it goes on to discuss the creation of embryonic structure, transition from droplet to bubble, presence of protons inside vesicles, vesicle interactions, the hydrophobic-hydrophilic paradox, vesicle fusion, fusion enhancing stability and inevitability, water reaching the boil, and droplets on car windows. It concludes that vesicles coalesce with other vesicles and vesicle EZs zipper together, and then infers the mechanism of zippering and concentration of vesicles and boil.

Chapter 15 deals with clouds emanating from coffee. It describes the anatomy of rising vapor, spatial patterns in liquids, the origin of mosaic patterns in water, the EZ material and characteristic flows, composition of water mosaic boundaries, deep mosaic structures and circulation, the evaporative event, completion of the evaporation cycle, bug screens and airflow, linkages in the air, and atmospheric conductivity and friction. It concludes that vesicles self-assemble in water by means of the like-likes-like mechanism, forming extensively networked structures. These structures are essentially tubes extending deep into the water. The rising structures observed as puffs are nothing but elements of evaporation.

Trampolines are dealt with in Chapter 16, which dwells upon the surface of water and attempts to clarify phenomena ranging from walking on water to floating of ships. It begins with an explanation of the difference between surface water and bulk water, the EZ-like zones at the air-water interface, thicker surface zones in open water, tsunamis, water surface frazility, capillary action, water transport in tall trees, and floating water droplets. It concludes that EZ-containing structures line the water surface and create tension.

Chapter 17 dwells upon the formation of ice and the role of EZs therein, the energy paradox, resolution of the energy paradox, the EZ preceding ice, temperature and ice formation, the proton rush, comparative ice buildup, natural ice formation, energetics resolved, and room temperature ice. It concludes that transition from water to ice requires an EZ intermediate.

The last section, Section V, is a summation on unlocking the earthly mysteries. It is a philosophical reflection on the culture of science, four fundamental principles [(1) water has four phases: ice, EZ, water, and vapor; (2) water stores energy; (3) water gets energy from light; and (4) like-charged entities can attract one another], why these principles remained secret, and the future.

The book is exceptionally well written in a story-telling style that is lucid, clear, and easy to understand. The author does not think anybody else could have described the subject matter of the book better than Dr. Pollack. The book will be of great value to those who are engaged in water science, and reflects the Dr. Pollack’s vast knowledge and rich experience. This is a highly useful book and will be a good addition to the library of any graduate student or faculty member interested in the science of water.