Why does sperm get sticky when in contact with hot water?
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Semen contains proteins and enzymes along with sperm and water.
The some of these proteins and enzymes react to coagulate(firm up, like a blood clot), some of these enzymes and proteins also cause it to become liquid.
Hot water washes away the bits that cause it to be liquid before it washes away the enzymes that make it solid. Depending how hot it is, it can also denature some of the proteins. Denatured proteins bundle up and get caught on each other like tangling up cords, which create a firmer structure.
It’s not so much about the temperature of the water as the multivalent solutes in it like calcium, and magnesium ions. Such positive ions complex to the negatively charged groups on the sides of large (chainlike) molecules in semen like polysaccharides and proteins. This “crosslink” between chains stops the molecules from sliding past one another in solution and thus they form a gel, which feels more solid than the original solution.
It’s not actually the water that makes it sticky, it’s the change in temperature.
When sperm is ejaculated, it is mixed with a fluid called seminal plasma. This fluid helps to keep the sperm alive and protected. At body temperature, the seminal plasma is thick and viscous.
When exposed to hot water, the proteins in the seminal plasma start to denature (change shape). This makes the fluid less viscous, and therefore the sperm becomes sticky.
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