Superheating

[Abby Ellstrom 1I]

What causes a substance to superheat or supercool? Is this common?

[Sammy Thatipelli 1B]

When a gas or vapor is above its boiling point, it is said to be superheated. Supercooling is the melting of a solid above its freezing point which is very difficult because most times, the solid will almost always melt at the same temperature for a given pressure.

[Jimmy Zhang Dis 1K]

Superheating, or boiling delay occurs when a liquid is heated past its boiling point without actually boiling. This normally only occurs in homogeneous substances.

[Matthew Lin 2C]

I don't think superheating or supercooling is very common, but there are multiple different variables that can cause them to happen. One example of superheating is how when you microwave water in a glass bowl, the temperature must be greater than 100 degrees C in order for the water to boil. This is because containers with a smooth surface and the relatively static heating environment inside a microwave oven prevent steam bubbles from forming.

[Juanyi Tan 2K]

Hi Abby! What I learn is that superheating describes the phenomenon when a liquid is heated to a temperature above its boiling point,without boiling and vaporizing. When the temperature of a liquid is below the freezing point but the liquid doesn't become solid, this phenomenon is called supercooling. Both situations are very rare.

[Sarah Clemens 1B]

Nice question. Superheating is when something goes over its boiling point without actually boiling!

[Bansi Amin 1D]

Are there any other examples of superheating besides the microwave one?