Re: How to explain this?

[Ludwik Kowalski <kowalskil@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU>]

Thanks for the reference, Mark. Their
explanations make sense to me.
Ludwik Kowalski

On Tuesday, Feb 18, 2003, at 11:15 US/Eastern, Mark Lucas wrote:

> This is an issue of superheating.
>
> A google search on "superheated boiling" brought up the second link as:
>
> http://newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem00/chem00636.htm
>
> They've got much better explanations than I could give.
>
> Mark
>
> On Tue, 18 Feb 2003, Ludwik Kowalski wrote:
>
> > This morning I observed something unusual. A common cup
> > filled up to about 80% with milk, and with about 1/2 spoon of
> > dissolved coffee, was placed into a microwave oven. I opened
> > the microwave door at the moment the milk started rising. Then
> > I removed the cup and placed it on the table. I was glad that
> > nothing was spilled. Nothing unusual so far.
> >
> > About ten seconds later I took a spoon (at room temperature)
> > and immersed it into the cup. That resulted in a sudden rise of
> > foam with milk and some of my coffee was spilled. How can this
> > be explained? Why did placing a cold spoon into the hot coffee-
> > milk produce a sudden boiling-like "explosion?" I have never
> > seen anything like this.
> > Ludwik Kowalski