New model sheds further light on the Grotthuss mechanism
Protons, as positively charged hydrogen ions, move very
rapidly in water from one water molecule to the next, which is why the
conductivity of water is relatively high. The principle of proton conduction in
water has been known for 200 years and is named the Grotthuss mechanism after
its discoverer, Theodor Grotthuss. It is based on the assumption that it is not
that a single specific proton moving from one molecule to another; instead,
there is cleavage of bonds.