Effects of action at a distance in water

Dipole–dipole interaction between molecules of hydrogen-bonding polar liquids (HBPLs), which has a collective and long-range nature, determines the basic large-scale properties of such liquids. We present a two-scale phenomenological vector model of polar liquids (VMPLs), wherein the liquid is described by a polarization vector. The simplest version of this model satisfactorily reproduces the well-known properties of HBPLs and interaction between macroscopic objects in a liquid. The possible existence of a ferroelectric phase transition (FPT) in supercooled liquid water is discussed. Near the FPT, fluctuations of the polarization vector increase, which may be the cause of the so-called ‘anomalous’ properties of water. We propose a quantitative classification of body surfaces based on the properties of their wettability by polar liquids. The ordering of dipoles of molecules located in the near-surface layers of HBPLs and phase transitions in these layers are discussed. The proposed model enables a significant reduction in computer time in numerical simulations of systems that contain a large number of water molecules.