Project description
The structure of water and breathing of fish
Water is one of the most important substances in chemistry and biology with a vital role in life on Earth. Evidence is mounting that water can exist in two liquid forms of high- or low-density and that at normal conditions there are local fluctuations between the two. The EU-funded GAS-WAT focuses on understanding how such fluctuations in the structure of water facilitate oxygen dissolution in water and how fish can extract it. Has evolution found a way to optimise the structure of water near the gills of fish to facilitate the exchange? Through a combination of modelling and experimental work, researchers will characterise water structure in gills and determine the mechanism by which fish extract oxygen from water.
Objective
Is there “hidden” structure in normal liquid water? Do nanoscopic structural heterogeneities in ambient water exist and affect solution chemistry? In this project we will focus on structural fluctuations in simulations of liquid water as observed through the enhancement of the isothermal compressibility. From both experiment and theory a two-state picture of water is emerging with fluctuations between high- (HDL) and low-density (LDL) local structures. The structure of these is unknown. Moreover, present simulation models require a pressure shift of one thousand atmospheres to reproduce the experimental compressibility maximum at ambient pressure. We propose to develop a unique description of the liquid that extends to take into account that the water molecule exists in two forms, ortho and para, with different rotational properties. We will use Argon dissolved in water as discrete probe of the LDL local environments in high-resolution EXAFS measurements to discern their structure in combination. Finally, in a two-state picture with LDL structures providing “pockets of stability” for dissolved oxygen, the question arises how fish entice the oxygen to leave the water and enter the gills. We will carry out a combined experimental X-ray spectroscopic and theoretical modeling study of water in polyelectrolyte and polysaccharide models of the mucous layer found outside lamella of fish gills and specifically determine how water structure there differs from the bulk. Has Nature through evolution found a way to restructure the water to enhance exchange of gases?
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry noble gases
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules carbohydrates
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2020-ADG
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10691 Stockholm
Sweden
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