Recent research reveals that under extreme heat and pressure, water can transform into a superacidic fluid. These unique conditions are typically found in the depths of Earth’s mantle, as well as on icy exoplanets like Uranus and Neptune, and they may also be replicated in controlled laboratory experiments.
Flavio Siro Brigiano from Sorbonne University emphasizes the significance of this phenomenon: “Under immense pressures and temperatures, water displays an extraordinary transformation into a superacid, demonstrating acidity levels that can exceed those of sulfuric acid by billions or even trillions of times.”
This groundbreaking discovery could have profound implications for understanding planetary processes and the behavior of water in extreme environments.
