Microwave Horror Stories

One morning a 26 year old man 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).

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 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 a science teacher had to say on the matter: "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.

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."