Dangerous..Worth a read

[Hedgehog]

Microwaving Water!

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 the
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 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."

If you pass this on you could very well save someone from a lot of pain and
suffering.