Steam vs Boiling Water

[Kyleigh Follis 2H]

Why does steam at 100 degrees celsius cause a worse burn than boiling water at 100 degrees celsius?

[julia_lok_2K]

It's because the steam has more heat energy than boiling water, i.e. higher enthalpy.

[Luc Lorain 1L]

As we boil water, it remains at a constant temperature (100 degrees C) until all liquid water has completed its phase change to gas. However, although Temperature remains constant, we continue to increase heat in the system throughout the entire process. Therefore, all steam produced through boiling contains much more heat than the water at the beginning of the boiling process.

[Xingzheng Sun 2K]

Because the process of boiling water intakes energy, and when it becomes steam, the steam has more heat than water.

[Jack Hewitt 2H]

Because the steam has more heat and therefore a higher enthalpy.

[Alexa Tabakian 1A]

Steam has a higher enthalpy because it takes more energy and heat to keep it as a gas. Therefore, it causes worse burns.

[Vicky Lu 1L]

Steam has a greater amount of energy, and therefore heat, as it has both the heat energy of boiling water and latent heat of vaporization in comparison to just boiling water which is just the energy required to boil water.

[Mark 1D]

greater enthalpy and therefore more heat in steam

[Pritish Patil 1K]

Steam has more heat energy (q), causing a worse burn. This is because it takes a certain amount of energy to execute the phase change from boiling water to steam, in which the temperature of the substance does not change, only heat energy q.