The search for water on Mars: Figure 8 Hydrogen bonding between water molecules, shown by the dashed line.

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The search for water on Mars

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The figure shows three water molecules represented by ball-and-stick models. Each water molecule consists of one red ball with delta minus (δ–) in the middle of it and two smaller white balls, each containing delta plus (δ+). Each white ball (or hydrogen atom) is attached to the red ball (or oxygen atom) by a short straight ‘stick’. The angle between the two sticks is more than a right angle. One of the water molecules is on the left of the figure and the other two on the right, one above the other. The molecule on the left has been rotated so that one of its white balls is above the red ball, and the other is below and to the right of the red ball. The first molecule on the right has been rotated so that its red ball is diagonally aligned with the lower white ball of the molecule above and to its left. There is a dashed blue line between this lower white ball at , and the red ball of the first molecule on the right. One of the white balls attached to this red ball is directly below it, and the other above and to its right. The second molecule on the right has been rotated so that its red ball is below and aligned with the lower white ball of the molecule directly above it. There is a dashed blue line between this white ball and the red ball of the second molecule. The white balls attached to this red ball are below and either side of it. The second dashed blue line is labelled as a hydrogen bond. The red ball of the third molecule is labelled 'oxygen atoms have a slight negative charge' (i.e. δ–). Its right white ball is labelled 'hydrogen atoms have a slight positive charge' (i.e. δ+).

Figure 8 Hydrogen bonding between water molecules, shown by the dashed line.

2.1 Why is water so important?

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