29.2. Water as the Solvent of Life
Even though the antifreeze mechanism is not completely understood, much work has been dedicated to solving this problem. One aspect of the enigma is that water has a key role in the process, not just as a solvent, but also as the ligand. The simplicity of water is what makes it so complex. The following is a short introduction to some of the key concepts of water and ice, viewed in the context of biological antifreeze. We have found that some mechanistic background knowledge about the freezing process is always appreciated when the topic of AFPs is brought up.
The basis of all life on Earth is water. Not only does water have several unique and interesting physicochemical properties, most organisms contain >50% ...
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