Question:
I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes but this was no joke. She’s evidently cc’d a lot of folks about a warning, and I’m incredulous. Yet I don’t know for sure. Maybe there’s something to this. I figure it’s definitely worth posting about this. If it’s true, this may help prevent a lot of suffering. If it’s false, well, we’ve debunked a myth. Which is it? The post follows. I’ve edited out all the quote stuff, ya know. Dan – - – - I was very glad to get this email from a friend, because I have been guilty of heating water in a microwave many times. You’ll be glad you read it. I also suggest passing it along to friends and family. About five days ago, my 26-year-old son decided to have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted to bring the water to a boil. When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted that the water was not boiling. Then instantly the water in the cup "blew up" into his face. The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand but all the water had flown out into his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face, which may leave scarring. He may also have lost partial sight in his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that this is a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something such as a wooden stir stick or a tea bag should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy. Here is what our science teacher has to say on the matter: "Thanks for the microwave warning. I have seen this happen before. It is caused by a phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur any time water is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel that the water is heated in is new. What happens is that the water heats faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very new then it is unlikely to have small surface scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of the heat that has built up, the liquid does not boil, and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling point. What then usually happens is that the liquid is bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a carbonated beverage spews when opened after having been shaken. Please pass this on to everyone you know, it could save a lot of pain and suffering.
Response:
> I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes > but this was no joke.
These email things are 99.9% of the time nonsense. But… It sorta happened to me a few years ago. I put some hot chocolate mix in a cup, put some cold water on top of it, and put it in the microwave. When I opened the microwave, the contents of the cup exploded. I was spared any injury, but it was quite the mess. I still heat up coffee in a m-wave, but I have a button on my m-wave that says "Beverages" and it works pretty well. Aside from all this, yes, I’d say you’d have to be very careful. H
Response:
It’s not a myth, in fact Congress passed legislation to require warning labels on all new microwaves sold, the same day they passed legislation forcing ISPs to tax customers .05 cents per email tax. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes >but this was no joke. She’s evidently cc’d a lot of folks about a >warning, and I’m incredulous. Yet I don’t know for sure. Maybe there’s >something to this. I figure it’s definitely worth posting about this. If >it’s true, this may help prevent a lot of suffering. If it’s false, >well, we’ve debunked a myth. Which is it? The post follows. I’ve edited >out all the quote stuff, ya know. >Dan >- – - – > I was very glad to get this email from a > friend, because I have been guilty of heating > water in a microwave many times. You’ll be glad you > read it. I also suggest passing it along to friends > and family. > About five days ago, my 26-year-old son decided > to have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of > water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something > that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure > how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted > to bring the water to a boil. > When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup > from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted > that the water was not boiling. Then instantly the > water in the cup "blew up" into his face. > The cup remained intact until he threw it > out of his hand but all the water had flown out into > his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face > is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his > face, which may leave scarring. He may also have lost > partial sight in his left eye. > While at the hospital, the doctor who was > attending to him stated that this is a fairly common > occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a > microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, > something such as a wooden stir stick or a tea bag > should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy. > Here is what our science teacher has to > say on the matter: > "Thanks for the microwave warning. I have > seen this happen before. It is caused by a > phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur any time water > is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel > that the water is heated in is new. > What happens is that the water heats > faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very > new then it is unlikely to have small surface > scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to > form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of > the heat that has built up, the liquid does not boil, > and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling > point. What then usually happens is that the liquid is > bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to > cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot > liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a > carbonated beverage spews when opened after having > been shaken. > Please pass this on to everyone you know, > it could save a lot of pain and suffering. >Path: >lobby!ngtf-m01.news.aol.com!ngpeer.news.aol.com!newsfeeds.sol.net!news-ou
t.visi.com!hermes.visi.com!news.tele.dk!small.news.tele.dk!207.115.63.138! newscon04.news.prodigy.com!newsmst01.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.com!postmast er.news.prodigy.com!newssvr – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->21.news.prodigy.com.POSTED!not-for-mail >Newsgroups: alt.home.repair >X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.91/32.564 >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >Lines: 67 >NNTP-Posting-Host: 216.103.104.249 >X-Trace: newssvr21.news.prodigy.com 1020279468 ST000 216.103.104.249 (Wed, 01 >May 2002 14:57:48 EDT) >Organization: Prodigy Internet http://www.prodigy.com >X-UserInfo1:
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Response:
> I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes > but this was no joke. She’s evidently cc’d a lot of folks about a > warning, and I’m incredulous. Yet I don’t know for sure. Maybe there’s > something to this. I figure it’s definitely worth posting about this. If > it’s true, this may help prevent a lot of suffering. If it’s false, > well, we’ve debunked a myth. Which is it? The post follows. I’ve edited > out all the quote stuff, ya know.
I got the same one. I guess it could be filed under "Microwaving for the complete idiot". Anyway, here’s a quick blurb about it: http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/microwave.html
Response:
> I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes > but this was no joke. She’s evidently cc’d a lot of folks about a > warning, and I’m incredulous. Yet I don’t know for sure. Maybe there’s > something to this. I figure it’s definitely worth posting about this. If > it’s true, this may help prevent a lot of suffering. If it’s false, > well, we’ve debunked a myth. Which is it? The post follows. I’ve edited > out all the quote stuff, ya know.
Urban legends has it as a truth. Also the FDA has a warning on it. http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/microwave.html http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/erupted.html
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> About five days ago, my 26-year-old son decided > to have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of > water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something > that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure > how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted > to bring the water to a boil. > When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup > from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted > that the water was not boiling. Then instantly the > water in the cup "blew up" into his face. > The cup remained intact until he threw it > out of his hand but all the water had flown out into > his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face > is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his > face, which may leave scarring. He may also have lost > partial sight in his left eye. > While at the hospital, the doctor who was > attending to him stated that this is a fairly common > occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a > microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, > something such as a wooden stir stick or a tea bag > should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy.
## The doctor was wrong insofar as he singled out microwave ovens. See below. > Here is what our science teacher has to > say on the matter: > "Thanks for the microwave warning. I have > seen this happen before. It is caused by a > phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur any time water > is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel > that the water is heated in is new.
## "New" has nothing to do with it. See below. > What happens is that the water heats > faster than the vapor bubbles can form.
## The "faster" part is wrong. It should read ‘before.’ > If the cup is very > new then it is unlikely to have small surface > scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to > form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of > the heat that has built up, the liquid does not boil, > and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling > point. What then usually happens is that the liquid is > bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to > cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot > liquid.
## Absolutely correct. Liquids can be heated beyond their boiling point in a new or old vessel and the formation of boiling bubbles initially depends entirely on the presence of imperfections in the container. An "old" laboratory retort will experience the same thing as a "new" coffee cup. That’s why ‘boiling chips’ are added to distillation apparatus in a laboratory ("boiling chips" are small, sharp rocks). >The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a > carbonated beverage spews when opened after having > been shaken.
## No. > Please pass this on to everyone you know, > it could save a lot of pain and suffering.
## So could taking a chemistry course in High School (or maybe not, depending on the teacher – see above).
Response:
> > I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes > but this was no joke. > These email things are 99.9% of the time nonsense. But… > It sorta happened to me a few years ago. I put some hot chocolate mix in a > cup, put some cold water on top of it, and put it in the microwave. When I > opened the microwave, the contents of the cup exploded. I was spared any > injury, but it was quite the mess.
Sugars and fats absorb more microwaves than water. The sugar and little bit of fat in the cocoa mix probably were burning before the water got warm. I managed to start a small fire once when I forgot to take the metal wire twistie off a bread wrapper when I put the loaf in the microwave to defrost it. My son asked "what’s burning". I said, "What do you mean what’s burning." "Look, – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I still heat up coffee in a m-wave, but I have a button on my m-wave that > says "Beverages" and it works pretty well. Aside from all this, yes, I’d > say you’d have to be very careful. > H
Response:
: :## So could taking a chemistry course in High School (or maybe not, :depending on the teacher – see above). : I took a year of high school chemistry and I have to say it was my best subject, probably even better than high school physics which I also had a great knack for. I got the highest grades of anyone in chemistry. I don’t remember anything in there about super-boiled water, though. Well, that was before people had microwaves in their kitchens, I guess – 1960 or so?
Response:
> I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes > but this was no joke. She’s evidently cc’d a lot of folks about a > warning, and I’m incredulous. Yet I don’t know for sure. Maybe there’s > something to this. I figure it’s definitely worth posting about this. If > it’s true, this may help prevent a lot of suffering. If it’s false, > well, we’ve debunked a myth. Which is it? The post follows. I’ve edited > out all the quote stuff, ya know. > Urban legends has it as a truth. Also the FDA has a warning on it. > http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/microwave.html > http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/erupted.html
I’ve been heating water for coffee in my cup for many years without any problems. I think the key word in the messages above is OVERHEAT. Some packets of instant flavorings state on their packaging not to boil or overheat the water. I thought that had to do with retaining the flavor, but maybe it is intended as a warning. DLB – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
Response:
I suspect that a microwave with an unbalanced fan would vibrate enough to keep this from happening, as should one with a sufficiently non-uniform wave-pattern inside. Thus, I suspect that expensive microwaves are more prone to this problem than cheap ones… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes > > but this was no joke. She’s evidently cc’d a lot of folks about a > > warning, and I’m incredulous. Yet I don’t know for sure. Maybe there’s > > something to this. I figure it’s definitely worth posting about this. If > > it’s true, this may help prevent a lot of suffering. If it’s false, > > well, we’ve debunked a myth. Which is it? The post follows. I’ve edited > > out all the quote stuff, ya know. > Urban legends has it as a truth. Also the FDA has a warning on it. > http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/microwave.html > http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/erupted.html > I’ve been heating water for coffee in my cup for many years without any > problems. I think the key word in the messages above is OVERHEAT. > Some packets of instant flavorings state on their packaging not to boil or > overheat the water. I thought that had to do with retaining the flavor, but > maybe it is intended as a warning. > DLB
– **DANGER!** Goedjn is not an expert or a professional. Goedjn is an interested hobbyist. Following Goedjn’s advice may have unwanted side effects including, but not limited to, the death and injury of yourself, your guests, and innocent bystanders; the partial or total destruction of your property; fines levied by your municipal government; and time spent in jail. You, and *ONLY* you, are ultimately responsible for deciding on the useability of these suggestions.
Response:
Use a good search engine and tyep in "Microwave HOAX" It is theorethically possible to heat water above the boiling point but extremely unlikely. Get the facts using a search engine. — Have a GREAT Day George
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes > but this was no joke. She’s evidently cc’d a lot of folks about a > warning, and I’m incredulous. Yet I don’t know for sure. Maybe there’s > something to this. I figure it’s definitely worth posting about this. If > it’s true, this may help prevent a lot of suffering. If it’s false, > well, we’ve debunked a myth. Which is it? The post follows. I’ve edited > out all the quote stuff, ya know. > Dan > – - – - > I was very glad to get this email from a > friend, because I have been guilty of heating > water in a microwave many times. You’ll be glad you > read it. I also suggest passing it along to friends > and family. > About five days ago, my 26-year-old son decided > to have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of > water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something > that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure > how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted > to bring the water to a boil. > When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup > from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted > that the water was not boiling. Then instantly the > water in the cup "blew up" into his face. > The cup remained intact until he threw it > out of his hand but all the water had flown out into > his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face > is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his > face, which may leave scarring. He may also have lost > partial sight in his left eye. > While at the hospital, the doctor who was > attending to him stated that this is a fairly common > occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a > microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, > something such as a wooden stir stick or a tea bag > should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy. > Here is what our science teacher has to > say on the matter: > "Thanks for the microwave warning. I have > seen this happen before. It is caused by a > phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur any time water > is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel > that the water is heated in is new. > What happens is that the water heats > faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very > new then it is unlikely to have small surface > scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to > form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of > the heat that has built up, the liquid does not boil, > and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling > point. What then usually happens is that the liquid is > bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to > cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot > liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a > carbonated beverage spews when opened after having > been shaken. > Please pass this on to everyone you know, > it could save a lot of pain and suffering.
Response:
> : > :## So could taking a chemistry course in High School (or maybe not, > :depending on the teacher – see above). > : > I took a year of high school chemistry and I have to say it was my best > subject, probably even better than high school physics which I also had > a great knack for. I got the highest grades of anyone in chemistry. I > don’t remember anything in there about super-boiled water, though. Well, > that was before people had microwaves in their kitchens, I guess – 1960 > or so?
Nah, doesn’t have anything to do with microwaves – just heat. I learned the lesson the hard way when I was trying to triple distill a batch of propanol. Forgot to put fresh boiling chips in the retort. I looked at the distillation apparatus a bit later an saw the thermometer reading 10 degrees over the known boiling point of propanol. Oops! Ever so c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y turned down the rheostat governing the heat blanket and hoped against hope the damn thing didn’t explode! I might have saved lives that day! In the lab next door, a gal was working with a cyanide compound and the beaker next to her (which held hot water for instant coffee) ‘burped’ (no boiling chips). Some hot water – a drop or two – hit her face. She ran screaming into the hall and yanked the emergency shower. Alarms. Flooding. Wet people. Emergency responders. People screaming "Run for your life!" What a mess.
Response:
> Use a good search engine and tyep in "Microwave HOAX" > It is theorethically possible to heat water above the boiling point but > extremely unlikely. > Get the facts using a search engine. > —
Yes it is possible to heat it above boiling BUT it will not "leap out of the cup". It will instead just boil over. I suppose it would be possible to get a bad burn if you had your face or hand right over the cup. Harry K
Response:
Microwave boiling water dangerous, or is this BS? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes >but this was no joke. She’s evidently cc’d a lot of folks about a >warning, and I’m incredulous. Yet I don’t know for sure. Maybe there’s >something to this. I figure it’s definitely worth posting about this. If >it’s true, this may help prevent a lot of suffering. If it’s false, >well, we’ve debunked a myth. Which is it? The post follows. I’ve edited >out all the quote stuff, ya know. >Dan >- – - – > I was very glad to get this email from a > friend, because I have been guilty of heating > water in a microwave many times. You’ll be glad you > read it. I also suggest passing it along to friends > and family. > About five days ago, my 26-year-old son decided > to have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of > water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something > that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure > how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted > to bring the water to a boil. > When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup > from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted > that the water was not boiling. Then instantly the > water in the cup "blew up" into his face. > The cup remained intact until he threw it > out of his hand but all the water had flown out into > his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face > is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his > face, which may leave scarring. He may also have lost > partial sight in his left eye. > While at the hospital, the doctor who was > attending to him stated that this is a fairly common > occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a > microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, > something such as a wooden stir stick or a tea bag > should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy. > Here is what our science teacher has to > say on the matter: > "Thanks for the microwave warning. I have > seen this happen before. It is caused by a > phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur any time water > is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel > that the water is heated in is new. > What happens is that the water heats > faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very > new then it is unlikely to have small surface > scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to > form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of > the heat that has built up, the liquid does not boil, > and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling > point. What then usually happens is that the liquid is > bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to > cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot > liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a > carbonated beverage spews when opened after having > been shaken. > Please pass this on to everyone you know, > it could save a lot of pain and suffering.
It’s not a hoax… The water can become super-heated above the boiling temp without actually bubble boiling if the water is microwaved too long in a container that is super smooth with no imperfections… Try dropping a wooden skewer/stick in the water to allow the bubbles to form if you if you’re worried this might happen to you…
Response:
It’s called bumping and as the science teacher suggested, it is more likely to occur in new vessels since they lack sites where a ‘bubble’ may nucleate. This happens on a daily basis, usually under reduced pressure, in chemistry labs around the world. Teachers should be required to obtain a Masters degree in ‘their’ subject before teaching it. Especially since the students of tomorrow are going to be talking about big equations with names like Schrodinger. Have fun and as with all hot liquids, use caution. Darryl. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> About five days ago, my 26-year-old son decided > to have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of > water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something > that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure > how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted > to bring the water to a boil. > When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup > from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted > that the water was not boiling. Then instantly the > water in the cup "blew up" into his face. > The cup remained intact until he threw it > out of his hand but all the water had flown out into > his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face > is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his > face, which may leave scarring. He may also have lost > partial sight in his left eye. > While at the hospital, the doctor who was > attending to him stated that this is a fairly common > occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a > microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, > something such as a wooden stir stick or a tea bag > should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy. >## The doctor was wrong insofar as he singled out microwave ovens. See >below. > Here is what our science teacher has to > say on the matter: > "Thanks for the microwave warning. I have > seen this happen before. It is caused by a > phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur any time water > is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel > that the water is heated in is new. >## "New" has nothing to do with it. See below. > What happens is that the water heats > faster than the vapor bubbles can form. >## The "faster" part is wrong. It should read ‘before.’ > If the cup is very > new then it is unlikely to have small surface > scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to > form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of > the heat that has built up, the liquid does not boil, > and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling > point. What then usually happens is that the liquid is > bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to > cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot > liquid. >## Absolutely correct. Liquids can be heated beyond their boiling point in a >new or old vessel and the formation of boiling bubbles initially depends >entirely on the presence of imperfections in the container. An "old" >laboratory retort will experience the same thing as a "new" coffee cup. >That’s why ‘boiling chips’ are added to distillation apparatus in a >laboratory ("boiling chips" are small, sharp rocks). >The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a > carbonated beverage spews when opened after having > been shaken. >## No. > Please pass this on to everyone you know, > it could save a lot of pain and suffering. >## So could taking a chemistry course in High School (or maybe not, >depending on the teacher – see above).
Response:
Yes, this can happen. Some very good physics and chemistry books will talk about superheating (and supercooling, where water can be a little bit, but definitely, below 32 F and still be a liquid) This generally requires very pure water. I have had the experience of having very hot water from a microwave and drop in a spoon of instant coffee and it foams up surprizingly like a mini-mushroom cloud. It can be surprizing if yu don’t expect it or have never seen it before. If you want to experiment with this, maybe get some real distilled water distributed at stores in plastic bottles. The presence of contaminants, suspensoids, or surface irregularities in the container will inhibit both superheating and supercooling because they help for a nucleus onto which either ice forms or boil bubbles can originate from. === no change to below, included for reference and context ==== – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes > but this was no joke. She’s evidently cc’d a lot of folks about a > warning, and I’m incredulous. Yet I don’t know for sure. Maybe there’s > something to this. I figure it’s definitely worth posting about this. If > it’s true, this may help prevent a lot of suffering. If it’s false, > well, we’ve debunked a myth. Which is it? The post follows. I’ve edited > out all the quote stuff, ya know. > Dan > – - – - > I was very glad to get this email from a > friend, because I have been guilty of heating > water in a microwave many times. You’ll be glad you > read it. I also suggest passing it along to friends > and family. > About five days ago, my 26-year-old son decided > to have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of > water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something > that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure > how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted > to bring the water to a boil. > When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup > from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted > that the water was not boiling. Then instantly the > water in the cup "blew up" into his face. > The cup remained intact until he threw it > out of his hand but all the water had flown out into > his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face > is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his > face, which may leave scarring. He may also have lost > partial sight in his left eye. > While at the hospital, the doctor who was > attending to him stated that this is a fairly common > occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a > microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, > something such as a wooden stir stick or a tea bag > should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy. > Here is what our science teacher has to > say on the matter: > "Thanks for the microwave warning. I have > seen this happen before. It is caused by a > phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur any time water > is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel > that the water is heated in is new. > What happens is that the water heats > faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very > new then it is unlikely to have small surface > scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to > form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of > the heat that has built up, the liquid does not boil, > and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling > point. What then usually happens is that the liquid is > bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to > cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot > liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a > carbonated beverage spews when opened after having > been shaken. > Please pass this on to everyone you know, > it could save a lot of pain and suffering.
Response:
Put a wooden stick (a chop stick works great) into the container of water. The end of the stick will generate bubbles at the bottom of the vessel and help reduce the chance of bumping.
Response:
What you have to do is exorcise the demons.. If you’ve microwaved your water, and it’s not boiling, close the MW door again. Then stand in front of the MW and shout, at the top of your lungs" "Treacherous demon of lurking boils, in the name of God I command you, come forth!" And then slam the corners of the MW with the heels of your hand. The demon will flee in an eruption of water and steam. If that doesn’t work, Try flinging a pinch of salt in the door while reciting a pagan blessing.
Response:
I have experienced the super cooling in a cave entrance. The water was still liquid until some idiot (me) stepped in it and ended up with one foot locked in ice. JJ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Yes, this can happen. Some very good physics and chemistry books will talk > about superheating (and supercooling, where water can be a little > bit, but definitely, below 32 F and still be a liquid) This generally > requires very pure water. I have had the experience of having very hot > water from a microwave and drop in a spoon of instant coffee and it foams > up surprizingly like a mini-mushroom cloud. It can be surprizing if yu > don’t expect it or have never seen it before. If you want to experiment > with this, maybe get some real distilled water distributed at stores in > plastic bottles. The presence of contaminants, suspensoids, or surface > irregularities in the container will inhibit both superheating and > supercooling because they help for a nucleus onto which either ice forms > or boil bubbles can originate from. > === no change to below, included for reference and context ====
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Until it happens to you, it does seem rather improbable. Myself, I’ve had the experience of "heating" a cup of water and subsequently adding instant coffee and the the whole works went crazy? Come to think of it, I’ve had same thing happen heating water on the range and then adding salt. My conclusion, DON’T treat this phenomena as bull***. Ace – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Use a good search engine and tyep in "Microwave HOAX" > It is theorethically possible to heat water above the boiling point but > extremely unlikely. > Get the facts using a search engine. > — > Have a GREAT Day > George > I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes > but this was no joke. She’s evidently cc’d a lot of folks about a > warning, and I’m incredulous. Yet I don’t know for sure. Maybe there’s > something to this. I figure it’s definitely worth posting about this. If > it’s true, this may help prevent a lot of suffering. If it’s false, > well, we’ve debunked a myth. Which is it? The post follows. I’ve edited > out all the quote stuff, ya know. > Dan > – - – - > I was very glad to get this email from a > friend, because I have been guilty of heating > water in a microwave many times. You’ll be glad you > read it. I also suggest passing it along to friends > and family. > About five days ago, my 26-year-old son decided > to have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of > water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something > that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure > how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted > to bring the water to a boil. > When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup > from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted > that the water was not boiling. Then instantly the > water in the cup "blew up" into his face. > The cup remained intact until he threw it > out of his hand but all the water had flown out into > his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face > is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his > face, which may leave scarring. He may also have lost > partial sight in his left eye. > While at the hospital, the doctor who was > attending to him stated that this is a fairly common > occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a > microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, > something such as a wooden stir stick or a tea bag > should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy. > Here is what our science teacher has to > say on the matter: > "Thanks for the microwave warning. I have > seen this happen before. It is caused by a > phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur any time water > is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel > that the water is heated in is new. > What happens is that the water heats > faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very > new then it is unlikely to have small surface > scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to > form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of > the heat that has built up, the liquid does not boil, > and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling > point. What then usually happens is that the liquid is > bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to > cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot > liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a > carbonated beverage spews when opened after having > been shaken. > Please pass this on to everyone you know, > it could save a lot of pain and suffering.
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From snopes.com In a nutshell, yes, water can "explode" in this fashion. However, it takes near perfect conditions to bring this about, thus "exploding water" is not something the average hot beverage drinker who would otherwise now be eyeing his microwave with trepidation need fear. Odds are, you’ll go through life without ever viewing this phenomenon first-hand, and if you’re one of the rare few who does get to see it, you will likely not be harmed by the experience (that would take you standing right over the cup at the instant it happens and the liquid bolting up and hitting your skin). The e-mailed warning is a model of non-specificity (no names, date, or locale; only the detail that the "victim" was 26 years old, presumably to enforce the idea that this accident could not be blamed on a child’s typical lack of caution), leaving us able to address only its theoretical aspects. Unfortunately, our eyes glaze over whenever we have to write about science topics, so we’ll just note that a bunch of other science-type people think it’s plausible, although the phenomenon isn’t nearly as common as the message cited above might make it sound: The site also lists some of the same info that other people have stated here. All that being said I often bowl water in my microwaves in a microwave safe bowl for the steam. It releases dried on gunk that can then easily be wiped off. When the children were smaller I always left a cup of water in the microwave in case one of them accidently turned it on because I was told that it would damage them to be turned on empty. No explosions yet…knock on wood. Laura
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It is true. Dateline (NBC) did a piece on this some time ago, and showed the "exploding" cup of hot water on video tape. — Paul
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I got an email from my sister-in-law, who’s always good for email jokes > but this was no joke. She’s evidently cc’d a lot of folks about a > warning, and I’m incredulous. Yet I don’t know for sure. Maybe there’s > something to this. I figure it’s definitely worth posting about this. If > it’s true, this may help prevent a lot of suffering. If it’s false, > well, we’ve debunked a myth. Which is it? The post follows. I’ve edited > out all the quote stuff, ya know. > Dan > – - – - > I was very glad to get this email from a > friend, because I have been guilty of heating > water in a microwave many times. You’ll be glad you > read it. I also suggest passing it along to friends > and family. > About five days ago, my 26-year-old son decided > to have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of > water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something > that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure > how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted > to bring the water to a boil. > When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup > from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted > that the water was not boiling. Then instantly the > water in the cup "blew up" into his face. > The cup remained intact until he threw it > out of his hand but all the water had flown out into > his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face > is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his > face, which may leave scarring. He may also have lost > partial sight in his left eye. > While at the hospital, the doctor who was > attending to him stated that this is a fairly common > occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a > microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, > something such as a wooden stir stick or a tea bag > should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy. > Here is what our science teacher has to > say on the matter: > "Thanks for the microwave warning. I have > seen this happen before. It is caused by a > phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur any time water > is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel > that the water is heated in is new. > What happens is that the water heats > faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very > new then it is unlikely to have small surface > scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to > form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of > the heat that has built up, the liquid does not boil, > and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling > point. What then usually happens is that the liquid is > bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to > cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot > liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a > carbonated beverage spews when opened after having > been shaken. > Please pass this on to everyone you know, > it could save a lot of pain and suffering.
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> It is true. Dateline (NBC) did a piece on this some time ago, and showed > the "exploding" cup of hot water on video tape.
Are you sure that wasn’t the "exploding" saddle tanks on a Ford pick-up????? ;-]
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>While at the hospital, the doctor who was > attending to him stated that this is a fairly common > occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a > microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, > something such as a wooden stir stick or a tea bag > should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy.
From my experience, if you try boiling water with a teabag in a microwave, you wind up with a complete mess. The tea provides lots of surface area for bubbles to form on. I get around this by zapping my cup of water for a minute, assuming it’s hot enough, and plopping the teabag in, at which point the water bubbles up nicely. Never assume that water is going to actually "boil" in a microwave, and automatically assume any water that you take out of a microwave is very hot. That way you play it safe. Adding powdered milk to something that has been heated in a microwave is fun to watch too! Rebecca
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well, I once had a strange occurrence (not with water). I was in high school and I heated up a large can of Chunky Chicken soup (like a quart of the damn stuff. l loved it) in a plastic bowl in the wave. The bowl was kinda "deep and steep" if that makes sense. Not wide and shallow. Anyway, threw it on for several minutes. Normally, I did it for like one or two and stirred, but forgot. Several minutes later, I decided to shut it off and stir (this was WAY before the new ones with the spinning plates). When I stuck the fork in, it exploded! I’m not kidding. I got hot soup all over me. I had to wash some spots off the ceiling and some off the window over the sink (about 6 or 7 feet away!). I was scalded a little on my arms and face. My dad and I formed this theory: The soup was very thick (duh –they didn’t call it "Chunky" for nothing!) and perhaps an air bubble trapped in the soup when I poured it in expanded when heated, increasing pressure which was released suddenly when I punctured the "soup shield" with the fork, releasing the pressure in a sudden outburst through a very small hole. Anyway, I still remember it vividly.