When I said “water,” I meant it in the common, liquid sense
The reason I was being pedantic is because you specifically said a single water molecule.
Water molecules don’t have a state in and of themselves. State is determined by the distance between molecules, whether they form macro crystal structures (ice).
Liquid/solid/gas is a macro state that many many water molecules might be in.
A single water molecule is a micro state, “solid” or “liquid” is meaningless in a context where we look at a single molecule and the things it immediately bonds with.
We aren’t in the realm of liquid or solid, we’re in the realm of covalent and hydrogen bonds.
Only when thousands of molecules get together can we start talking about “liquid” water.
When I said “water,” I meant it in the common, liquid sense, not the scientific designation for all dihydrogen monoxide regardless of state.
The reason I was being pedantic is because you specifically said a single water molecule.
Water molecules don’t have a state in and of themselves. State is determined by the distance between molecules, whether they form macro crystal structures (ice).
Liquid/solid/gas is a macro state that many many water molecules might be in.
A single water molecule is a micro state, “solid” or “liquid” is meaningless in a context where we look at a single molecule and the things it immediately bonds with.
We aren’t in the realm of liquid or solid, we’re in the realm of covalent and hydrogen bonds.
Only when thousands of molecules get together can we start talking about “liquid” water.