HEATING WATER in MICROWAVE

By

THE SCIENCE OF WELLNESS SOCIETY

PRESENTS THIS INFORMATION

Article Receive By E-Mail

(not a joke)

PLEASE READ

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.