[email protected]

Science Buffs, Are you there?
I got this e-mail today and think it sounds pretty ridiculous. I pulled
out the book that came with my microwave oven (installed in 1994, book
written in 1991). It says that 2:30 at high power can be used to heat a
cup of water for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. There are no precautions
anywhere related to the following e-mail.
Maybe the warning should be: Don't stick your face close to something
that just came out of the microwave oven! (My apologies to the following
party if this is true!)
Mary Ellen
One can never have too many buttons.
Laurella Lederer

From: Meredith Brown
mailto:[SMTP:racer@...]
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2000 12:05 PM
Subject: Microwaving Water Caution
I feel that the following is information that anyone who uses a microwave
oven to heat water should be made aware of. 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 but 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 flew 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 also may have lost
partial sight in his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor who
was attending to him stated that this a fairly common occurrence and
water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is
heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse
the energy such as a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc. It is however a
much safer choice to boil the water in a tea kettle. Please pass this
information on to friends and family. (Mike J
Tucker, Safety/Security Officer)
This sounds like an urban legend but it isn't. The issue is that a very
clean cup has no nucleation points to initiate the boiling, and the water
can become superheated beyond the usual boiling point. If mechanically
disturbed in this state, like inserting a spoon or adding your cocoa mix,
all of the stored energy can be released all at once. Not all the
water turns to steam, only a small fraction, but it can throw the
remaining hot water a significant distance.
Meredith Brown
ESH Lessons Learned Program Manager
Los Alamos National Laboratory
505 667 0604

The preceding lesson learned was received via e-mail or over the Internet
from another DOE site/contractor. In the interest of timely
distribution, it is forwarded to you in its original form rather than
inclusion in the monthly ERC Lessons Learned Bulletin. The corrective
actions and lessons learned are those identified by the originator and
are not required of the ERC. Please review the event to determine if
actions are necessary to
prevent the same type of occurrence. Please call Tim Quinn on 372-9257
if you have any questions.
________________________________________________________________
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Mary Ellen,

I couldn't believe it when I read this message. The same
thing happened to me a few months ago when I was heating
water for instant oatmeal. The box does say to either pour
boiling water into the oatmeal or to put water and oatmeal
together and microwave it - I guess now we know why.
Anyway I lifted the cup out of the microwave and peeked to
see if it was boiling. The whole thing blew clear to the
ceiling and I was covered with hot water. Miraculously I
wasn't burned - but it scared the snot out of me! I
thought it was just one of those weird things that just
happen to me, but no, there's actually scientific
evidence. This has the makings of a science as well as a
safety lesson!

Betsy Wright

The Wright Way To Homeschool
http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/homeschoolingwrights/

Send email to:
deejay@...

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Pete Schult

>From: metta <metta@...>
>
>on 1/23/00 4:29 PM, megates@... at megates@... wrote:
>
>> I got this e-mail today and think it sounds pretty ridiculous.
>
>You're right. :-)
>
>It's an urban legend: http://www.snopes.com/spoons/faxlore/microwav.htm


Actually, it's not altogether bogus. See
http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/answers/lwa456bubbles.html

I boil water for tea in a microwave, and sometimes when I've let it go too
long, putting the teabag into the water causes a boilover that loses half
the water.

--Pete


Pete Schult Househusband
http://people2.clarityconnect.com/webpages4/schult/default.html
mailto:schult@...

Thomas and Nanci Kuykendall

My Dh says, "It's because microwaves heat water on a molecular level that
this phonomena occurs. The water needs something to make it form air
pockets to boil. When heated in a microwave, the microwaves do not always
allow this to occur. Thus, the water is heated above boiling temp. without
boiling. When you remove the cup of wahter the disturbance causes bubles
to form and breaks the surface tension. Because the water is so hot it
flash boils and explodes. Scientific fact, and no Urban lengend."

Nanci K.

FUN (Billy & Nancy)

It's not anything special about microwaves. The phenomenon is called
superheating and can occur when a liquid is rapidly heated above its boiling
temp (a lack of nucleation causes this, normally a liquid reaches an
equilibrium and cannot be heated above its boiling temp as the excess heat
energy is consumed by converting the liquid to a gas).

In the lab, "boiling chips" are often added to beakers to prevent "bumping."
Most people never notice this effect on regular stoves because the metal
surfaces of pots and pans are rough and provide nucleation sites. People are
more likely to use glass or glazed ceramics in microwaves. I have seen the
same effect while heating liquids in test tubes or beakers with both
electric heating elements and open flames (bunsen burner).

Note that this produces explosive boiling, not an "explosion" like a bomb.
Think of it as sudden, violent boiling.

Billy
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>
>My Dh says, "It's because microwaves heat water on a molecular level that
>this phonomena occurs. The water needs something to make it form air
>pockets to boil. When heated in a microwave, the microwaves do not always
>allow this to occur. Thus, the water is heated above boiling temp. without
>boiling. When you remove the cup of wahter the disturbance causes bubles
>to form and breaks the surface tension. Because the water is so hot it
>flash boils and explodes. Scientific fact, and no Urban lengend."
>

Lynda

Sounds like someone with too much time on their hands as their "science"
language is drivel. "Nucleate" is "the have, act as or use a nuceus."
And, basic chemistry would tell you that the water molecule has one there
for does not need something else to act as one. Also, I've worked in
hospitals for years and never saw such a case. Thinking maybe I was out of
the circle for too long, I called all three of ours and none had ever heard
of such a thing. They had, however, heard of folks playing chemistry type
games with water, etc. (trying to change the boiling point by adding things
to water, etc.) have things blow up INSIDE the microwave usually or have
the things work and then scald the sh*t out of themselves because they
didn't have sense enough to use oven mits.

Lynda, who is off to check all her chemistry books. Now if she could only
remember where they are gathering dust <g>

----------
> From: megates@...
>
> Science Buffs, Are you there?
> I got this e-mail today and think it sounds pretty ridiculous. I pulled
> out the book that came with my microwave oven (installed in 1994, book
> written in 1991). It says that 2:30 at high power can be used to heat a
> cup of water for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. There are no precautions
> anywhere related to the following e-mail.
> Maybe the warning should be: Don't stick your face close to something
> that just came out of the microwave oven! (My apologies to the following
> party if this is true!)
> Mary Ellen
> One can never have too many buttons.
> Laurella Lederer
>
> From: Meredith Brown
> mailto:[SMTP:racer@...]
> Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2000 12:05 PM
> Subject: Microwaving Water Caution
> I feel that the following is information that anyone who uses a microwave
> oven to heat water should be made aware of. 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 but 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 flew 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 also may have lost
> partial sight in his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor who
> was attending to him stated that this a fairly common occurrence and
> water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is
> heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse
> the energy such as a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc. It is however a
> much safer choice to boil the water in a tea kettle. Please pass this
> information on to friends and family. (Mike J
> Tucker, Safety/Security Officer)
> This sounds like an urban legend but it isn't. The issue is that a very
> clean cup has no nucleation points to initiate the boiling, and the water
> can become superheated beyond the usual boiling point. If mechanically
> disturbed in this state, like inserting a spoon or adding your cocoa mix,
> all of the stored energy can be released all at once. Not all the
> water turns to steam, only a small fraction, but it can throw the
> remaining hot water a significant distance.
> Meredith Brown
> ESH Lessons Learned Program Manager
> Los Alamos National Laboratory
> 505 667 0604
>
> The preceding lesson learned was received via e-mail or over the Internet
> from another DOE site/contractor. In the interest of timely
> distribution, it is forwarded to you in its original form rather than
> inclusion in the monthly ERC Lessons Learned Bulletin. The corrective
> actions and lessons learned are those identified by the originator and
> are not required of the ERC. Please review the event to determine if
> actions are necessary to
> prevent the same type of occurrence. Please call Tim Quinn on 372-9257
> if you have any questions.
> ________________________________________________________________
> YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
> Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
> Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:
> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
>
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Thomas and Nanci Kuykendall

>It's not anything special about microwaves. The phenomenon is called
>superheating and can occur when a liquid is rapidly heated above its boiling
>temp (a lack of nucleation causes this, normally a liquid reaches an
>equilibrium and cannot be heated above its boiling temp as the excess heat
>energy is consumed by converting the liquid to a gas).
>
>In the lab, "boiling chips" are often added to beakers to prevent "bumping."
>Most people never notice this effect on regular stoves because the metal
>surfaces of pots and pans are rough and provide nucleation sites. People are
>more likely to use glass or glazed ceramics in microwaves. I have seen the
>same effect while heating liquids in test tubes or beakers with both
>electric heating elements and open flames (bunsen burner).
>
>Note that this produces explosive boiling, not an "explosion" like a bomb.
>Think of it as sudden, violent boiling.
>
>Billy

Thanks!

Nanci K.