Re: H2O Microwave Criticality

["George Andrews" <mauser2@erols.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Neil, David M" <neildm@id.doe.gov>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2000 5:38 PM
Subject: RE: H2O Microwave Criticality


> (HOW MUCH OF THIS IS TRUE??)  Overall, I suspect it is an "Urban Legend".
>
> Water heated in a microwave WILL develop hot spots, even before reaching
an
> overall boiling temperature, which will cause foaming when a solid is
added.
> Instant coffee is particularly good for doing this, for some reason.
> However, for the cup and water to both be so clean that no nucleation
sites
> were present to a degree allowing a high energy supercritical state, in a
> casual environment, boggles the mind.
>
> A more likely scenario is this:  when the coffee was added, the water
> bubbled enough to overflow on the hand holding the cup, scalding it.  A
> reflexive twitch would then take care of scattering the contents of the
cup.
>
> Dave Neil
> neildm@id.doe.gov
>
This is a very reasonable explanation. A teabag placed in a cup of water
brought to boil in a microwave oven can also result in violent foaming.

George Andrews, RRPT
mauser2@erols.com
N1YAE  FN31kj

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