Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Technology => Topic started by: rap sheet on 14/02/2009 08:42:28
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When you microwave something, you input energy into its molecules. This can produce heat and stimulate a chemical reaction. This is great, if you are cooking food. Other materials don’t produce a favorable result. Here’s a list of things you shouldn’t microwave and why. Actually, some are foods. Where possible, I included links to videos (screened for language and ads) so you can see what happens. If you’re like me, you’re curious, but don’t want to destroy your own appliance or poison yourself with noxious vapors.
CDs - Soooo pretty! The coating makes the sparks. If you nuke a cd, you’ll get an awesome sparkler-like display, but you run the risk of a fire. Obviously, the cd will never work again. I would presume the vapors from the burning polymer are toxic.
Grapes - I don’t think you can make raisins this way. Your grapes will ignite, even though they are mostly water. It’s a decent way to see the state of matter known as plasma, but you can ruin your appliance once the water from the grapes evaporates.
Toothpicks or Matches - This is another example of plasma or ball lightning that can destroy your appliance. If you absolutely have to see charged plasma, get yourself a plasma lamp.
Soap - Ok, maybe you should try this one. You get a cascade of bubbles. Very cool, decent chance of microwave survival, plus the soap is already inside for clean-up. Note that Ivory™ was used, which is actual soap. Other brands may not work as well. Another interesting note: the bubbly cloud that results has been tested and remains ’soap’. Apparently when you microwave soap, the water boils and forms soap bubbles. Heat causes air in the bubbles to expand. When the microwave stops, the soap re-solidifies.
Hot Peppers - My mom once sent me for some dried hot peppers from the shop. She recommended nuking them for a few seconds to make sure they were dehydrated before storing them. Um… don’t! The capsaicin (chemical that is ‘hot’) is volatile. Your eyes will sting, your throat will burn. Oh… and the peppers may catch fire. I don’t have a video, since there is nothing to see. Don’t microwave any chemical you wouldn’t want released into the air. Don’t microwave dry materials.
(Dry) Kitchen Sponges - If you nuke a wet sponge for 2 minutes, it will disinfect it (though it will stink up your kitchen). If you nuke a dry sponge, it will ignite. The WebMD article doesn’t state this, but they should have: be sure you rinsed any cleaners out of your sponge if you intend to microwave it.
* Lightbulb - Don’t do it. Even worse than this incandescent bulb would be a fluorescent bulb, because that would release toxic mercury vapors. Yeah, it might look cool, but microwaving these represents a real health hazard. Mercury vapor doesn’t float out your window and vanish. Even worse, a microwave usually is located near food or surfaces used to prepare food. Lead is another toxic element that can be released from microwaving a lightbulb.
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I like how you've used the word 'nuke' and other related nuking words. [:)]
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i though u can understand but no use!! Of writting nuke
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Sorry? What do you mean?
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i though u can understand but no use!! Of writting nuke
We DO understand! You did fine!
Writing Nuke is ok.. that's what we say in our house in terms of microwaving our foods and liquids..
There was NO offense intended toward you and you did an excellent job posting your thread..
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Yeah man, no offense intended. [:)]
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You might include all convenience foods is your list, too. They'll get to you in the end.
Microwaving is excellent for so many fresh veg and for defrosting stuff - not for TV dinners and the like.
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As I understand it, many of the things you aren't supposed to do with a microwave are only really an issue as there's little to actually absorb the microwaves ... so they bounce around and dump all the energy in the magnetron - causing it to overheat.
Putting one grape, or 1 CD in the microwave, for example is very unlikely to absorb 700W of energy. You get away with it provided you only do it for 20-30 seconds, but it's not really recommended. When I've put a CD in a microwave I have put a mug of water in there too, to absorb the energy.
Any sealed item, from a lightbulb to an egg runs the risk of exploding.
A student friend of mine once bought an extremely cheap microwave oven specifically to abuse. Needless to say, he declined the saleman's insistence that he bought an extended warrantee!
Re microwaving kitchen sponges
On 24 Jan 2007 the BBC News website (along with many others across the world) published a story about sterlising sponges (or maybe it was tea-towels) in a microwave oven. As soon as I saw it I emailed them to say that this was a bad idea, and not advice you should give to the general public. I had no reply, but by 4pm there was another story of a woman whose microwave had caught fire after she followed their earlier suggestions...
I think the orignal story was pulled - I can't find it. Here's a a couple of followups:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6293735.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/6301893.stm
This was a fine example of irresponsible journalism.
A Google search for news microwave sponge cloth will give some idea of the ensuing trouble!
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Can I presume that Rap Sheet now has a rap sheet which includes 'Destruction of several microwave ovens'?
Go on mate, wreck another one, put in half a dozen eggs....... Why not? In for a penny, in for a pound.
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Dry the hair on your poodle. Or is that an urban legend?
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Soap - Ok, maybe you should try this one. You get a cascade of bubbles. Very cool, decent chance of microwave survival, plus the soap is already inside for clean-up. Note that Ivory™ was used, which is actual soap. Other brands may not work as well. Another interesting note: the bubbly cloud that results has been tested and remains ’soap’. Apparently when you microwave soap, the water boils and forms soap bubbles. Heat causes air in the bubbles to expand. When the microwave stops, the soap re-solidifies.
We've done this several times whilst science busking - it's a very neat effect. BUT - it's likely that your microwave will stink of soap for weeks to come. Dave's stunt microwave still reeks of it now, despite us not having microwaved any soap for months!
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Simple answer: Unless you intend to eat it, don't put it in the micro-wave!
.....................Ethos
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There is one light source intended for use in a microwave - the sulfur lamp. It is powered by a slightly modified microwave oven ( mostly extra cooling as it will run essentially 24 hours a day in most cases) and is one light source where the lamp will almost invariably outlast the power source ( along with induction lamps). It heats the small amount of solid sulfur sealed inside a glass sphere until it ionises and emits a brilliant white light. Used in the Smithsonian museum to light the main hall via a light pipe to distribute the light evenly.
Generally microwave only food if you intend to use the oven again to ever heat edibles, as it is near impossible to ensure that any harmful vapour or particles emitted by doing other experiments are removed from the interior and the cooling path.
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Below are a few of the things you should NEVER put in the microwave:
Aluminum Foil
Paper Bags
Plastic Bags and Plastic Containers
Travel Mugs
Hard-boiled Eggs
Hot Peppers
Styrofoam in Microwave
Lidless Containers
Chinese Takeout Boxes
youhave to know everything you should and shouldn't put in your microwave?
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Plastic Containers
LOL
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Below are a few of the things you should NEVER put in the microwave:
Aluminum Foil
Our microwave has very specific instructions on using al foil to shield parts of food that might overcook eg thin parts of a piece of meat.
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Hard-boiled Eggs
Raw Eggs (in the shell)
I once saw the aftermath of someone trying to cook a raw egg in a microwave.
When I arrived, they had partially disassembled the microwave so they could wash off the splatter.
(Note: disassembling microwaves is also a bad idea...)