Is the story of water exploding in a microwave oven true -- or is it an urban legend or hoax?
Microwave Oven and Water
I feel that the following is information that any one who uses a microwave oven to heat water should be made aware of.
About five days ago my 26-year old son decided to have a cup of instant coffee. He took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted to bring the water to a boil. When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted that the water was not boiling but instantly the water in the cup "blew up" into his face. The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand but all the water had flew out into his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face which may leave scarring. He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye.
While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that this a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc. It is however a much safer choice to boil the water in a tea kettle. Please pass this information on to friends and family.
Editors Note: Actually there is some truth about water explosion if you get the conditions just right. Check out Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments for more details on using microwaves.
http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/weird/microexp.html
Don't do this at home!