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Science 8 January 1971:
Vol. 171. no. 3966, pp. 62 - 64
DOI: 10.1126/science.171.3966.62
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Articles

Amorphous Ice: Density and Reflectivity

J. A. Ghormley 1 and C. J. Hochanadel 1

1 Chemistry Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

Amorphous ice prepared under a wide range of conditions has a density, determined from its buoyancy in liquid oxygen, of 0.94±0.02 gram per cubic centimeter, the same as that of ordinary hexagonal ice, with no indication of the glassy superdense ice (2.32 grams per cubic centimeter) reported recently. The diffuse reflectivity shows a small increase as the ice crystallizes at 153°K. This increase is followed by a much larger increase (probably associated with crystal growth) as the sample warms, and the reflectivity reaches a maximum well below the melting temperature. Although the ice deposits appear translucent, the specular reflectivity is low, thus indicating a dull rather than a glassy surface.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)