I was lying, on the couch, watching 'All My Children', when I looked in the kitchen...?

Question

What do you think would happen if you, like, took some water, no wait, maybe filled up a deep pan with water and boiled it on the stove for, like, a long-long time? Like, even longer than what you would use for cooking? That'd be cool.. I wonder if the water would like, explode! or something? Heh I dunno, maybe the water would get so hot it would melt the pan?

Answer 1

It is actually possible to explode water, but not in the manner that you describe.

Think of it like a rubber balloon. You can inflate it with air, and the rubber will stretch and stretch. The rubber doesn't LIKE to be that way... but since all the rubber is in exactly the same state, a balance is maintained. Until you introduce even the smallest discontinuity. Like a pin. Then BAM!

You can do the same with water, but it's not easy. Both boiling and freezing are aided by what are called 'nucleii'. Not those things in atoms, but just small particles of dust, cracks in a glass... anything that makes a slight disturbance in the water so gas bubbles can form around it. Almost all pans and cups have a slight residue from former usage which provide ample nucleii for boiling (or freezing).

BUT if you can get a very pure sample of water and heat it without any kind of convection (a microwave works) in a container that is especially clean and smooth, you can super-heat water (link 1). Its temperature can be raised ABOVE the boiling point.

And when a slight discontinuity is introduced... say a spoon... then BAM! It all instantly turns to vapor. And expansion of thousands of times. Hopefully you're not standing next to it and didn't like that glass too much.

I've seen scientists replicate the phenomenon in the lab, but you're not likely to do it by accident. Some trees in nature actually use this same process to avoid freezing in winter. Their sap is completely free of nucleii. But if the tree is ever damaged, it explodes (though not as strongly... ice is only about 10% larger than water). It's wild.

Answer 2

My sister did that once.. I never have met anyone else that can burn water. The water boils away, but the last little bit actually burns to the pan/pot. It is actually just the leftover impurities of course. After all the water is gone, the pot itself starts to melt or burn depending on the type of metal used and impurities within it. I wouldn't recommend doing it.

Answer 3

At sea level, of course, water simply cannot get hotter than 212 degrees fahrenheit! That's it. No more. It's wonderful that way. After this, it simply evaporates...changes state and turns into a gas. Water vapor.

In fact, understanding this principle moves you one step closer to understanding how your air conditioner works!

Check out the link below for a great explanation for your "rambling."

Answer 4

if you get this excited to think of what its like to boil water in a pan on the stove you should TOTALLY TRY THIS
Next time you are camping / bonfire-ing ... take a styrofoam cup and fill it w/ water and place it in the fire ... and watch .... the cup will melt down to the water level and then ..... THE WATER WILL BEGIN TO BOIL !!!!! ... AND THEN THE WATER WILL EVAPORATE .... AND THEN .... AND THEN.... THE CUP WILL BURST INTO FLAMES =)
*****(0.O)*****AWESOME****(D.D) ******

XOXOXO
EMILY
TY FOR THE 2 PTS

Answer 5

This is the kind of moronic rambling that gives Answers a bad reputation. Get a life, for God's sake.

Answer 6

You need to get some of Chef Tony's TV Dinner Ware.


.

Answer 7

Get a job

Answer 8

the water would evaporate and then the pan would burn and it could start a fire, I wouldn't recommend trying it.

Answer 9

You've got bad taste. Watching 'All My Children'?

Answer 10

Millionaire lmao