What happens when you microwave liquid oxygen?

Question

What happens when you microwave liquid oxygen?
A. explodes
B. does nothing
C. turn the microwave into a rocket
D. produce foam
E. create solid oxygen

Also remember, once I put a silver-rimmed plate inside a microwave and jolts of electricity were arching along the silver.

Also remember, what happens when you introduce sparks to a flamable substance? Liquid oxygen is used in rockets...

Answer 1

Microwaves jiggle and bend non-linear molecules, like water. However - being that there is most likely some water in the microwave due to the condensation effects of LOX - the water will heat and the LOX will evaporate. If you have some grease, or other organic material in the microwave or as part of the lube for the microwave (likely) the grease/lube/stuff can ignite in the oxygen rich enviroment and burn.

Answer 2

pure oxygen is flamable....as it expands as long as it's not mixing with hydrogen therefore neutralizing it's flamability the potential energy of the gas will increase as the molecules of the oxygen expand. the microwace could blow up in 2 ways....if the seal on the door is airtight the door or the weakest point of the microwave would break, releasing the trapped expanding gas....it would sort of pop the microwave like a balloon would pop if it were overfilled. or a spark generated by the microwave could ignite the expanding molecules of oxygen and hence fowarth cause an explosion. but if the seal isn't airtight on the microwave, than there might not even be an explosion at all because the gas is venting out into the atmosphere as it expands...if the microwave doesn't arc a spark then no gas ignition...meaning no explosion.

Answer 3

none of the above

it merely vaporizes the oxygen into gaseous oxygen (some foam may be produced along the way) it will vaporize about as fast whether you turn on the oven or not, because the room temperature oven is plenty hot to boil liquid oxygen, and microwaves are not absorbed very well by liquid oxygen

since the microwave is not air tight, the oxygen will disperse into the atmosphere, which is, of course, already loaded with oxygen

remember, oxygen does not burn
oxygen is required for a fuel to burn but you get no combustion without fuel, and the sides of the microwave have to get very hot before they will ignite

Answer 4

Nothing will happen to the oxygen since microwaves resonate water only. The oxygen will evapourate very quickly though; since it's boiling point is -183C it won't stick around for very long. Oxygen is used in rocket fuel, but as an oxidizing agent, hydrogen is the flammable gas there. Although it may seem as though oxygen is flammable, whatever it is reacting with is the actual flammable substance and oxygen is mearly doing its job of oxidizing.

Answer 5

it should do nothing. and to your second addition, oxygen itself is not flammable, only when it is combined with something flammable is it able to burn, this is the definition of combustion. the wavelength of microwaves are bigger than the actual oxygen molecule, so absolutely nothing should happen if you put in just liquid oxygen.

Answer 6

B) Assuming there is 0% water in the microwave nothing will happpen. Microwaves work by heating water thus heating whatever the water is in.

Answer 7

well I've seen how flammable it is , so without making any scientific analysis of your question, I'd just assume an explosion depending on the volume/amount of liquid O2.
So, dude, have you tried this experiment?

Answer 8

you get hot liquid oxygen. makes a great drink.

Answer 9

b

microwave ovens are tuned to vibrational frequencies of water

Answer 10

It heats it, then it expands, then (if contained) BOOM!.