What happens to the structure of ice when it melts?

When ice melts, the structure of the ice, which is characterized by a rigid tetrahedral arrangement of water molecules held together by hydrogen bonds, transitions to the liquid state. In the solid form, ice has a lower density due to the open arrangement of water molecules, which creates a crystalline structure.

As ice melts, the hydrogen bonds that hold the molecules in this tetrahedral shape weaken, allowing the water molecules to move more freely. This results in the molecules packing more closely together, leading to an increase in density. Therefore, the collapsing of the structured arrangement into a more condensed state is a key feature of this phase transition from solid to liquid.

As a result, it is accurate to state that when ice melts, it becomes denser and collapses as the crystalline structure breaks down, enabling the water molecules to slide past each other more easily in the liquid state.