[nukkad] Boiling water in microwave

[evil kid <>]

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Tip of the day:  Jedi knights aren't celibate. 
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not sure how authentic this info is .. passing it on
just in they are right..

Please pass this information on to friends and family.
 I feel that the following is information that anyone
who uses a microwave oven to heat water should know.
My 26-year old son 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 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 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. It
is however a much safer choice to boil the water in a
tea kettle.   Please pass this information on to
friends and family. 

  General Electric's response:  Thanks for contacting
us, Mr. Williams. I will be happy to assist you.  The
e-mail that you received is correct. Micro waved 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. I hope this helps.  
Should you need any further assistance, please contact
us.   

Here is what 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.  




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