When ice melts to form liquid water at 0°C, there is a contraction in volume. This is due to : — Chemical Bonding Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Step 1: Ice has an open cage-like hexagonal structure with a large amount of empty space due to highly organized, rigid intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Step 2: Upon melting, the thermal energy partially disrupts this rigid hydrogen-bonded network. Step 3: This collapse of the cage structure allows the water molecules to pack more closely together, resulting in a volume contraction. This matches option (b).