Why does steam cause severe burns?
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Why does steam cause severe burns?
I know he covered this in class, but I still quite don’t understand. Could someone explain please?
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Re: Why does steam cause severe burns?
Water and steam can both exist at 100 degrees F. However steam also contains more heat/energy than water because of the enthalpy of vaporization needed to turn water into steam. When steam comes into contact with the skin, it is exothermic and releases heat. This also releases the heat that was necessary for the phase change.
Re: Why does steam cause severe burns?
Since there is more heat supplied when trying to convert water into vapor than water into liquid, steam causes more severe burns because the enthalpy of condensation/sublimation is a large value.
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Re: Why does steam cause severe burns?
I also have a question about this. Why do both water and steam exist at 100 F? Doesn’t water evaporate at 100 F so wouldn’t it always turn into steam at 100F?
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Re: Why does steam cause severe burns?
100 degrees is the defining number that separates steam and water. At that point, it can increase to steam or decrease to become liquid water depending on the circumstances.
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