No, water cannot directly turn into ice without passing through a liquid state first. The phase transition from water to ice typically involves the process of freezing, which occurs when the temperature of liquid water is reduced below its freezing point.
Water, in its liquid state, consists of individual water molecules that have enough energy to move and flow freely. As the temperature drops, the kinetic energy of the water molecules decreases, causing them to move more slowly and come closer together. At the freezing point of water, which is 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) at standard atmospheric pressure, the water molecules start to arrange themselves in a more ordered structure.
During the freezing process, the water molecules form a regular, lattice-like arrangement as they transition into the solid state, which is ice. This ordered arrangement of water molecules in the solid state gives ice its characteristic crystalline structure. Without the liquid phase, there would be no transition from liquid water to the solid state of ice.
However, it is worth noting that there are cases where water can undergo a process called sublimation, where it transitions directly from a solid (ice) to a gaseous state (water vapor) without passing through the liquid phase. This occurs under specific conditions of low temperature and reduced atmospheric pressure.