water (like ours) vs. water-ammonia vs. ammonia planets - some questions

In a solar system much like ours, would there be the possibility of a planet of our size that would have lakes, rivers, oceans, etc. that would be composed of either a mixture of water and ammonia (plus various impurities like salt, other minerals, and - in our present day and age - pollutants) or just ammonia (again, plus various impurities) rather than just water (plus the impurities) as is the case here on Earth, and in which life would be having a water-ammonia mixture (or just ammonia) as a biochemical medium and as something to drink as opposed to pure water for earthlings?

If so, then would such worlds of water-ammonia (and certainly just ammonia) be more common in the colder end of the Goldilocks zone, given that water-ammonia and ammonia would both melt/freeze at much lower temperatures than pure water? (Or alternatively, with much higher pressures more in the heart of the Goldilocks zone or at its hotter end?)

How likely is it for an Earth-sized planet (not just the size of our own but also the size of a super-Earth - smaller than Neptune - or a mini-Earth - bigger than Mars) to have a water-ammonia mix (in which H2O>NH3) as opposed to pure water the way we do? Would such a H2O-NH3 mix be more likely indeed in the colder end of the Goldilocks zone, or could it be even in our own position in the Goldilocks zone or warmer?

Or is it less likely all the above and more likely that pure water would be present in planets with oxidized atmospheres while ammonia-water or pure ammonia would be present in planets with reducing atmospheres, no matter the planet's size or its position relative to its parent star?

posted about 7 years ago

user42533‭

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