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Conference on the Physics, Chemistry, and Biology of Water, Oct, 13-16, 2022, Bad Soden, Germany
Para- and ortho- isomers of water: theory,
experiments and new opportunities for
multidisciplinary water research
S. Kernbach1, M. Trukhanova 2,3, V. Zhigalov4, V. Panchelyuga5
1CYBRES GmbH, Research Center of Advanced Robotics and Environmental Science, Stuttgart, Germany,
contact author: serge.kernbach@cybertronica.de.com
2Faculty of Physics, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, Russia
3Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, Bolshaya Tulskaya Street 52, Moscow, Russia,
trukhanova@physics.msu.ru
4National Research University of Electronic Technology MIET, Moscow, Russia, zhigalov@gmail.com
5Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics of RAS, Pushchino, Russia,
victor.panchelyuga@gmail.com
Extended Abstract
The protons within the hydrogen atoms in water molecules possess parallel or antiparallel
nuclear spin. Molecules with parallel spins are called ortho-H2O, with opposed spins -
para-H2O. Para- and ortho- isomers of water have different physical and chemical
properties [1]: chemical reactivity, behavior in electric field, magnetic moment, viscosity
and surface tension, and several other properties. Recent publications indicate the
important role of spin-related processes in various physical, technological and biological
fields: in quantum biology, in the catalysis of biochemical reactions, in cognitive
functions of the brain, in research on spin switches and programmable matter, and other
areas.
Interest for water isomers is explained by their properties: acting as different
molecular species, changing quantum spin states on interactions with other molecules,
low energy of spin conversion. When the 3:1 ortho-/para- equilibrium state deviates to a
nonequilibrium state, water samples exhibit various physical and chemical changes. For
instance, the electrochemical reactivity of para- and ortho- isomers differs by about 24%
[2], thus, water samples in a nonequilibrium spin state will demonstrate different ionic
dynamics in chemical and biochemical reactions. Most experiments on spin conversion
are carried out in the gas phase; ice-like structures in water [3] and hydrogen bonding are
expected to facilitate the long-term nonequilibrium state towards 1:1 of ortho-/para-
isomers also in the liquid phase. According to several authors [4], spin conversion in
liquid water was observed in low-intensity electric and magnetic fields, hydrodynamic
cavitations, laser radiations, and other affecting factors. Since spin states are quantum
entities, some unusual properties, such as macroscopic entanglement, can also be
observed in aqueous systems. The dependence of spin states on macroscopic physical and
chemical processes can serve as a basis for the development of quantum sensors and
converters. Current research on water isomers is conducted in theoretical and practical
(measurement) areas.
Many theoretical models that expand boundaries of the Standard Model of
elementary particles predict the existence of the hidden sector of particles, which can very
weakly interact with the visible sector of Standard Model particles [6]. The exchange of
virtual particles characterizes a new type of spin-spin interactions, which are different
from the well-known electromagnetic ones [7]. For the first time, Moody and Wilczek [8]
proposed to introduce the spin-dependent forces that arise between fermions by
exchanging pseudoscalar bosons or axions. The general approach for describing
spin-dependent interactions mediated by new spin-0 or spin-1 bosons is associated with
the introduction of 16 independant, long-range potentials and is called the
Moody-Wilczek-Dobrescu-Mocioiu (MWDM) formalism. Experiments look for
long-range interactions between electrons by using a spin-polarized torsion pendulum [9].
It contains the polarized electron spins enabling interactions between the pendulum's
electrons and a vector field fixed in inertial space, which represents a condensate of exotic
particles. Neutron-neutron spin coupling via the anomalous nuclear spin-dependent forces
generated by a separate ³He spin source was investigated by using nuclear-spin
magnetometers [10]. New limits on neutron coupling to light pseudoscalar and vector
particles, including torsion, have been presented. An alternative approach was proposed
in [11] using the polarized electrons inside the Earth instead of the modulated laboratory
spin source. Authors involved recent deep-Earth geophysics and geochemistry results and
created a comprehensive map of electron polarization within the Earth induced by the
geomagnetic field. The long-range interactions between these spin-polarized
geoelectrons, the spin-polarized electrons and nucleons have been investigated in three
laboratory experiments. We assume that the ortho- and para-isomers of water can be used
as a sensor for ultraweak spin-dependent interactions, since the new fields should have
different effects on water molecules with different spins.
The detection of spin isomers is performed by optical, electrochemical or physical
methods. In particular, physical methods include measurements of kinematic viscosity
and surface tension effects. Electrochemical methods are based on different chemical
reactivity of isomers. For instance, the absorption of CO2and O2from the atmosphere
generates a chain of electrochemical reactions whose products can be measured by
electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Significant changes are observed in
spectra of low-frequency EIS (and UV absorption spectra) in samples affected by
ultraweak magnetic field [5], which can be attributed to different ionic productivity
caused by spin conversion. In addition, new detection methods of water spin isomers are
in development by using sorption selectivity of para- and ortho-molecules. Sensors based
on nanocarbon structures within the sorption system can also respond to nonequilibrium
spin states in the liquid phase.
This presentation summarizes several theoretical and experimental results on the
spin isomers of water, unusual photonic (light-matter) phenomena in the system of
quantum oscillators based on spin conversion, and several quantum-biological effects.
Authors discuss new opportunities for the multidisciplinary water community in this
emerging area of research.
References
[1] V.I. Tikhonov and A.A. Volkov. Separation of water into its ortho and para isomers. Science,
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[2] A. Kilaj, H. Gao, D. Rösch, U. Rivero, J. Küpper, and S. Willitsch. Observation of different reactivities of
para-and ortho-water towards cold diazenylium ions. Nat Commun., 9(1):2096, 2018.
[3] B. Monserrat, J.G. Brandenburg, E.A. Engel et al. Liquid water contains the building blocks of diverse ice
phases. Nat Commun 11, 5757, 2020.
[4] S. Pershin. Ortho-para spin conversion of H2O in aqueous solutions as a quantum factor of the Konovalov
paradox. Biophysics, 59:986–994, 11 2015.
[5] S. Kernbach, Electrochemical Characterization of Ionic Dynamics Resulting from Spin Conversion of Water
Isomers, J. Electrochem. Soc. 169(6) 067504, 2022
[6] H. Su, Y. Wang, M. Jiang, W. Ji, P. Fadeev, D.Hu, X. Peng, D. Budker, Search for exotic spin-dependent
interactions with a spin-based amplifier, Science Advances, 7, 47 2021.
[7] J. Jaeckel, A. Ringwald, The Low-Energy Frontier of Particle Physics, Annu. Rev. Nucl. Part. Sci. 60:405
2010.
[8] J. E.Moody, F.Wilczek, New macroscopic forces? Phys. Rev. D Part. Fields 30, 130 1984.
[9] C. E. Cramer, A torsion balance search for spin-coupled forces, thesis, Univ. of Washington, 2007.
[10] G.Vasilakis, J.M. Brown, T.W.Kornack, M.V.Romalis, Limits on new long range nuclear
spin-dependent forces set with a K-3He comagnetometer. Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 261801 2009.
