Scientists are using the Canadian Light Source on the University of Saskatchewan campus to investigate how water and other molecules behave in extreme conditions such as severe pressure, intense temperatures and high levels of radiation.

John Tse, a professor of physics at the U of S and Centennial Enhancement Chair in Material Science is among one of the researchers utilizing the Canadian Light Source as part of their research. Tse says he’s particularly interested in what happens to organic molecules under extreme pressure and temperature.

“In which I’m interested in how did things form under a certain condition and what’s the kinetics, what’s the rate it’s forming. So the other part of the active research is looking how to get rid of the formation to start with.”

Using the synchrotron technology, Tse was able to generate extreme conditions, this offering a new way to see how water crystalizes.

This research could help scientists like Tse to better understand what happens to water and organic molecules in extreme environments like oil and natural gas pipelines.

Tse points to the BP explosion in the Gulf of Mexico 12 years ago as one extreme.

More can be found about the research by clicking here.