Water plays unexpected role in forming minerals

Large crystals growing in water often form from tiny nanocrystals continually attaching together. During attachment, these tiny particles snap to the surface, like LEGO bricks. A bit of torque is needed to rotate the particles into position for attachment. By measuring and calculating the forces that provide this torque, researchers found that water has a more significant role than previously thought. Water templates on particle surfaces, organizing into structures that reach out to incoming particles, telling them how to optimally align themselves for attachment, to assemble into larger crystals. As these oriented particles are brought closer, the intervening water structures dissemble, allowing the particles to dock together.