this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
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And no, the microwave is not a valid option.

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[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 1 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Hmm... I thought superheating referred to heating water over 100º by pressurizing it, not by heating it at normal pressure without allowing bubbles to form.

Because technically the steam is dissolved in the water above its saturation point, right? If the gas were (say) CO^2^ instead of steam, wouldn’t “supersaturated” be the correct term?

[–] Cephalotrocity@biglemmowski.win 2 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

Because technically the steam is dissolved in the water above its saturation point, right? If the gas were (say) CO2 instead of steam, wouldn’t “supersaturated” be the correct term?

If the gas were CO~2~ instead of steam, CO~2~ would be the solute, and water the solvent. In that case the term supersaturated would make sense because the solvent contains more solute than it can handle under normal conditions. The steam is not disolved in the water. The microwaved water is unable to form steam in the first place due to a lack of available nucleation sites.

I thought superheating referred to heating water over 100º by pressurizing it

That isn't superheating. The boiling point of a given substance naturally varies with pressure. Liquid water at 200^o^C while pressurized sufficiently isn't superheated. It is just hotter than you expect it to be. That technique can be used to superheat something like water if heated over it's atmospheric boiling temperature while pressurized and then lowering the pressure without agitating it.