Scientists discovered two new salt water forms that are believed to cover icy moons, such as Jupiter's Europa.
The finding could help researchers resolve a longstanding mystery surrounding our Solar System's ice-encrusted moons. The scientists found that when salt water ice, otherwise known as hydrated sodium chloride, is subjected to higher pressures and lower temperatures not found on Earth, their atoms behave in different ways.
New Forms of Salt Water
They found that the atoms arranged themselves in never-before-identified structures that were seen to have a much higher proportion of water molecules compared to salt. The discovery could finally explain the mysterious chemical signature of a substance found on the surface of Europa, which seems more watery than scientists expect.
In a statement, Baptiste Journaux, an Earth and space scientist at the University of Washington, said that it was somewhat rare to have fundamental scientific discoveries in modern times. He added that scientists have a firm grasp on the nature of salt and water under the conditions seen on our planet, as per Science Alert.
Journaux noted that scientists were left totally in the dark beyond that understanding. He emphasized that researchers are now beginning to understand more about planetary objects when exposed to exotic conditions. He added that experts should have to redo all of the fundamental mineralogical science done in the 1800s.
Salt and water are abundant on Earth and when combined, the molecules of the former dissolve throughout those of the latter to create a solution. Salt's presence can lower the solution's freezing point compared to pure water. However, it will eventually freeze as temperature goes down and under Earth conditions.
When this happens, the molecules structure themselves in a rigid lattice form known as a hydrate. On our planet, this structure only has one configuration: one salt molecule for every two water molecules.
Mystery of Icy Moons
However, the two newly discovered forms have much more water than salt. One has 13 molecules of water per sodium chloride, and the second has 17. The team of researchers made the findings while they were not looking for new ice but rather the way salt in water acts as an antifreeze and the effect of pressure on that process, according to IFL Science.
Journaux said that they were only trying to measure how much salt could affect the amount of ice that would be produced. They were surprised to learn that they discovered two new forms of sale water.
He added that pressure only makes the molecules closer to each other, which changes their interactions. Journaux noted that this was the main engine for diversity in the crystal structures found in the latest experiments.
The finding is promising news for scientists currently studying icy moons such as Jupiter's Europa, Callisto, Ganymede, and Saturn's Enceladus and Titan. Journaux noted that other previous explanations for the mysterious sodium chloride on these cosmic bodies were those having high water-to-salt ratios, said GeekWire.
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