[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

Well? Why? Oh, and frost. That's white too.

[HaroldH]

Water isn't blue.  It is clear.  Oceans etc appear blue because of the way that light is refracted in them.

Ice is white because the crystals reflect all visible light that hits them.

Generally the apparent color of a substance is determined by the way it reflects light.  Since the organization of the molecules is different when crystallized as in ice to free as in water, the light is reflected differently.

[lightarrow]

Well? Why? Oh, and frost. That's white too.

Water is blue because light is transmitted inside, some of the red components are absorbed and part of this light is diffused back (and filtered again); snow and frost are white because light is reflected off, so it isn't filtered out enough (in the process of reflections, only a small layer of molecules give a contribute).

[Chemistry4me]

The water coming out of my taps isn't blue!

[lightarrow]

The water coming out of my taps isn't blue!

Weird. You don't usually put copper sulfate in it?   []
That tickness is not big enough for the effect to be visible (the absorption coefficient is low, and that's a lucky, or it could be problematic to make spectrometer determination of chemicals in water solution, in analytical chemistry).

[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

Water is blue. We've had that discussion here before.

From Wikipedia

It is a common misconception that in large bodies, such as the oceans, the water's color is blue due to the reflections from the sky on its surface. This is not true, but was believed to be so decades ago. The main reason the ocean is blue is that water itself is a blue-colored chemical. Optical scattering from water molecules provides a second source of the blue color, but colored light caused by scattering only becomes significant with extremely pure water.

So now answer my question!  []

[ScientificBoysClub]

Well Water is transparent ... and Light is happy to pass through it ...

where as ice is not transparent ... cos ice crystal shaped like this  *********   will not allow light to pass through it ... and those Crystals r not transparent when they combine with each other ...

[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

Ah, that could be the answer. Thank you.

[dentstudent]

    
If water is blue, why is snow white?

Because the seven dwarves.

[Chemistry4me]

Ayyyee? []
Why is Snow White? Because the seven dwarves??? []
How does that work...........?

[Don_1]

Ayyyee? []
Why is Snow White? Because the seven dwarves??? []
How does that work...........?

It doesn't. The dwarves are on strike.

[chris]

Snow, and clouds, are white despite the inherent blue colour of water because these are both composed of many tiny ice crystals. The crystals are highly reflective and return to your eye the full spectrum of incident light wavelengths. Hence you see white. It's the same reason why water is blue but the spray coming from a wave-tip is white. The irregular water surface reflects all wavelengths.

Water is blue because, in the liquid state, the hydrogen bonds stiffen the molecules making them absorb energy at red wavelengths. Un-hydrogen-bonded water ie free molecules absorb in the infrared, which is why water is an excellent greenhouse gas.

Chris

[ScientificBoysClub]

   
If water is blue, why is snow white?

Because the seven dwarves.

i know snow is white due to ice  crystal shaped like this  *********   will not allow light to pass through it ... when light can't pass through it it gets reflected by ice crystals .. so, it looks like white cos ccrystals in it r white !! GOT IT !!

WHo told u that water is Blue ?

water is transparent !! Well Water is transparent ... and Light is happy to pass through it ...

where as ice cube is not transparent ... due to above reason I told u !! GOT IT

[ScientificBoysClub]

Snow, and clouds, are white despite the inherent blue colour of water because these are both composed of many tiny ice crystals. The crystals are highly reflective and return to your eye the full spectrum of incident light wavelengths. Hence you see white. It's the same reason why water is blue but the spray coming from a wave-tip is white. The irregular water surface reflects all wavelengths.

Water is blue because, in the liquid state, the hydrogen bonds stiffen the molecules making them absorb energy at red wavelengths. Un-hydrogen-bonded water ie free molecules absorb in the infrared, which is why water is an excellent greenhouse gas.

Chris

hi Chris ,
water is transparent  not blue , in oceans we see it in blue cos of reflection and refraction between sky and water.

[Chemistry4me]

Yes, he get's it!
DoctorBeaver is a smart chap []
Like yourself perhaps ScientificBoysClub?

[DoctorBeaver (OP)]

SBC - Just because something is transparent doesn't mean it has to be colourless. Similarly, being coloured does not mean the substance must be opaque. Consider stained glass.

Chris - Thank you. Nicely explained.

[Chemistry4me]

Snow, and clouds, are white despite the inherent blue colour of water because these are both composed of many tiny ice crystals. The crystals are highly reflective and return to your eye the full spectrum of incident light wavelengths. Hence you see white. It's the same reason why water is blue but the spray coming from a wave-tip is white. The irregular water surface reflects all wavelengths.

Water is blue because, in the liquid state, the hydrogen bonds stiffen the molecules making them absorb energy at red wavelengths. Un-hydrogen-bonded water ie free molecules absorb in the infrared, which is why water is an excellent greenhouse gas.

Chris

hey Chris ,
water is transparent  not blue , in oceans we see it in blue cos of reflection and refraction between sky and water.

Do you know who Chris Smith is??? []
You don't just say to Chris, 'Hey Chris, guess what, you're wrong'!!! GOT IT!!! [][]

[ScientificBoysClub]

SBC - Just because something is transparent doesn't mean it has to be colourless. Similarly, being coloured does not mean the substance must be opaque. Consider stained glass.

Chris - Thank you. Nicely explained.

hi there

when two transparent medium combined to each other forms a spectrum  ... GOT IT lol

[Chemistry4me]

Snow, and clouds, are white despite the inherent blue colour of water because these are both composed of many tiny ice crystals. The crystals are highly reflective and return to your eye the full spectrum of incident light wavelengths. Hence you see white. It's the same reason why water is blue but the spray coming from a wave-tip is white. The irregular water surface reflects all wavelengths.

Water is blue because, in the liquid state, the hydrogen bonds stiffen the molecules making them absorb energy at red wavelengths. Un-hydrogen-bonded water ie free molecules absorb in the infrared, which is why water is an excellent greenhouse gas.

Chris

hey Chris ,
water is transparent  not blue , in oceans we see it in blue cos of reflection and refraction between sky and water.

Do you know who Chris Smith is??? []
You don't just say to Chris, 'Hey Chris, guess what, you're wrong'!!! GOT IT!!! [][]

ok ok  he is also a human like us I give respect to every one !!

Who are you calling human?! []

[ScientificBoysClub]

Snow, and clouds, are white despite the inherent blue colour of water because these are both composed of many tiny ice crystals. The crystals are highly reflective and return to your eye the full spectrum of incident light wavelengths. Hence you see white. It's the same reason why water is blue but the spray coming from a wave-tip is white. The irregular water surface reflects all wavelengths.

Water is blue because, in the liquid state, the hydrogen bonds stiffen the molecules making them absorb energy at red wavelengths. Un-hydrogen-bonded water ie free molecules absorb in the infrared, which is why water is an excellent greenhouse gas.

Chris

hey Chris ,
water is transparent  not blue , in oceans we see it in blue cos of reflection and refraction between sky and water.

Do you know who Chris Smith is??? []
You don't just say to Chris, 'Hey Chris, guess what, you're wrong'!!! GOT IT!!! [][]

ok ok  he is also a human like us I give respect to every one !!

Who are you calling human?! []

why do u diverting the topic ?... oh common everyone is human  ........