The Reactive Role of Water in Chemistry

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss one of the simplest and most remarkable of all molecules: water. Water is among the most abundant substances on Earth, covering more than two-thirds of the planet. Consisting of just three atoms, the water molecule is superficially simple in its structure but extraordinary in its properties. It is a rare example of a substance that can be found on Earth in gaseous, liquid and solid forms, and thanks to its unique chemical behaviour is the basis of all known life. Scientists are still discovering new things about it, such as the fact that there are at least fifteen different forms of ice.

Hasok Chang Hans Rausing Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge

Andrea Sella Professor of Chemistry at University College London

Patricia Hunt Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Imperial College London.

Producer: Thomas Morris.