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

Author:Pollack, Gerald [Pollack, Gerald]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780962689567
Publisher: Ebner and Sons Publishers
Published: 2014-05-06T21:00:00+00:00

Vodka and Viscosity

Dmitry Mendeleev 1834–1907

Dmitry Mendeleev, the Russian scientist who brought us the periodic table, also studied the mixing of ethanol and water. Like most mixtures, this one produces heat and shrinkage. Mendeleev noted another attribute: an increase of viscosity, by as much as three times. The reason has remained obscure, but the EZ’s high viscosity (see Fig. 3.17) might explain the result. Ethanol forms EZs much like water;7 therefore, a mix of ethanol and water might produce intermingling EZs exhibiting substantially elevated viscosity.

While that’s speculation, what’s beyond speculation is the practical result: because he found the highest viscosity at a 40:60 mixture of ethanol to water, Mendeleev considered that particular ratio ideal for making vodka. That’s the ratio used to this day. The high viscosity lends the drink a satisfying “body,” enough perhaps to explain why Russians consume so much of it.

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