Substances in the chain-melted state display properties of both a solid and a liquid. The co-author of a study regarding the chain-melted state, Andreas Hermann, stated that if the matter were hypothetically to be handled by a person, it would be like holding a wet sponge that is leaking water, while the sponge itself is actually made of water. Described more formally, the potassium metal developed two internal structures, a chain-like lattice that dissolved, and a stronger Bravais lattice that remained in a solid state. This is a type of host–guest chemistry where, in this case, the host lattice of metal atoms remains solid while some of the material binds weakly and resembles a liquid.