Food as Medicine vol. 6 (The Naturopath formerly known as a Doctor era)

Wet - a surface is coated by a continuous layer of water molecules held in place by intermolecular forces, creating a stable interface between liquid and material without requiring atoms to physically touch. It is a field interaction, not a collision. At the atomic level, surfaces and water molecules are separated by tiny gaps governed by electron clouds and repulsive forces. What is experienced as “wetness” occurs when water molecules adhere to a surface (adhesion) and to each other (cohesion) strongly enough to spread across that surface rather than bead up. This spreading is driven by intermolecular forces, especially hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attraction, which allow water to form a continuous film. When that film forms, it changes how the surface interacts with light, heat, friction, and pressure, and it activates sensory receptors in the skin, this combined physical and sensory effect is what is perceived as “wet.” Read more