A Chemistry fact a day keeps the danger away
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Is it safe to heat up a liquid in a microwave?
You are feeling cold and desperately needed a quick fix such as heating up your cold coffee in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. But wait, did you know that people sometimes scald themselves heating liquids in a microwave? Why? This is because the liquid has been superheated above its boiling point. Although the liquid is desperate to boil, it cant do so without something to assist the formation of bubbles. Disturbing this liquid by adding a spoon or some sugar can nucleate bubble formation and allow the liquid to violently boil over the hands of an unsuspecting victim!