Steam burns more than water

[EMurphy_2L]

Can someone please explain why steam at 100 oC causes a worse burn than boiling water at 100 oC? He went through this too fast in class. Thanks!

[Charisse Vu 1H]

Steam at 100C causes a worse burn than water at 100C because steam at 100C has a lot more energy than boiling water at the same temperature. If you recall the phase change graph, a lot of energy is put into vaporizing water into a gas. During a phase change, the temperature remains constant, but the amount of heat supplied continues to increase. Therefore, since steam has a lot more heat (energy) than boiling water at the same temperature, the burn from a steam is much worse.

[Brian J Cheng 1I]

Steam causes a larger energy change/transfer than water when it touches your skin. Larger energy transfer == more damage.

[205405339]

the energy from steam is higher than the energy for water

[Naneeta Desar 1K]

Since steam has a higher energy than water, it burns more.

[Sartaj Bal 1J]

Steam is not hotter than boiling water at 100 C but will be carrying more energy because of the energy input required to change the phase. As a result, there is a large enthalpy for condensation and when the energy is released on skin, there is a more severe burn.