> A 26-year old man decided to have a cup of 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 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
suddenly 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 build up 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 is 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, (nothing metal).
>
> It is however a much safer choice to boil the water in a tea kettle.
>
>
> General Electric's Response:
>
> Thanks for contacting us, I will be happy to assist you. The e-mail that you
received is correct. Microwaved water and other liquids do not always bubble
when they reach the boiling point. They can actually get superheated and not
bubble at all. The superheated liquid will bubble up out of the cup when it is
moved or when something like a spoon or tea bag is put into it.
>
> To prevent this from happening and causing injury, do not heat any liquid for
more than two minutes per cup. After heating, let the cup stand in t he
microwave for thirty seconds! before moving it or adding anything into it.
>
> Here is what our local science teacher had 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 anytime water is heated and will
particularly occur if the vessel that the water is heated in is new, or when
heating a small amount of water (less than half a cup).
>
> 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 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 for m and expel the hot
liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a carbonated beverage spews
when opened after having been shaken." If you pass this on you could very well save someone from a lot of pain and suffering.
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