Polywater theory

Polywater describes a hypothetical polymerised form of water, first proposed by N. N. Fedyakin[?] in the 1960s as an explanation of experiments involving passing water repeatedly through quartz capillary tubes, apparently creating a new, more viscous, form of water.

The phenomenon seen by Fedyakin is now believed to be completely explained by the presence of contaminants in the water.

The idea of polywater was used in the novel Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, where all water on earth is progressively converted to 'Ice-9' a new and stable form of water.