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Steam causes more severe burns as compared to boiling water because steam contains more heat (i.e

40.6 kJ

/mol

condensation heat) then boiling water, both at the same temperature 100 oC.
From that condensation is momentanous

when in contact with skin, after being liquidified

it behaves the same as boiling water: still 100 oC and cooling down is slower than condensation.

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10y ago
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10y ago

Steam causes more severe burns as compared to boiling water because steam contains more heat (i.e 40.6 kJ/mol condensation heat) then boiling water, both at the same temperature 100 oC.
From that condensation is momentanous when in contact with skin, after being liquefied it behaves the same as boiling water: still 100 oC and cooling down is slower than condensation.

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9y ago

Water It is not that the steam is hotter than the water. Water's boiling point is 100°C, so it is vaporized upon reaching 100°. Therefore, the steam is 100° also -- no more hot than the water.

The reason that steam inflicts more damage has to with what happens when the gas changes back to a liquid. As the steam comes into contact with your skin, the molecules slow back down and become a liquid. The states of matter are defined by the speed of particles (based on the amount of kinetic energy within particles) and how "stuck" together they are due to intermolecular forces. Particles that are separated and are moving fast will be a gas, slower moving particles will be a liquid, and the slowest being solid.

So the molecules are in a gaseous form and are moving really fast. The reason they are moving fast is because energy (in the form of heat) has been constantly added to the water molecules until they got enough energy to break apart from the others. When the vapor comes into contact with your skin, the vapor condensates and changes to a liquid. What this means is: the molecules are going from high movement (and energy) to lower movement (and energy) as a liquid. The energy (heat) is being lost in the transition from gas to liquid. Heat is being released as a result of the state change. In an equation: gas → liquid + heat. The change is an exothermic reaction; heat is given off.

You add this heat from the change of gas to a liquid plus the original 100°, and you will get a worse burn. A burn from water would only be 100°, but the burn from steam is 100° in addition to the exothermic reaction.

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11y ago

Stem burns are severe than that of boiled water because steam possess the heat require to convert water from liquid to steam i.e. Latent heat and the heat possessed by the steam for boiling.whereas the hot water lacks the latent heat and only possess the heat applied.

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12y ago

Because steam is the hotter air from boiling water, which means steam is hotter than the water.

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12y ago

Steam is hotter that boiling water

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Q: Why does steam burn skin more than hot water?
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Why are steam burns on the skin so severe?

It is not really more. Steam is the gas form of water, and thus hotter than the liquid form. 1000C (at 1au at sea level) is the boiling point of water. 400C water will not burn you, but 990C will. Steam at 1010C will burn you, but steam at 5000C would burn worse. So your answer is steam is hotter, but how much more of a burn you get also has to do with the amount of steam or water you come in contact with, and the temperature the steam or water is.


Why is a steam burn worse than a hot water burn?

Because gases or vapours like steam are much poorer conductors than liquid water. The heat energy given to the skin area takes longer to dissipate (or go away), so the damage to your skin is greater.


Why is steam at 100degree celsius more dangerous than water at 100degree celsius?

Because when in contact with human skin steam condenses into boiling water. This causes the serious damages seen in steam burns.


Why does skin burn at 130 degrees F?

yes, your skin is it like water it burn at 100 f


Why steam burn is more than hot water burn?

Previous answer was "It can be at a higher temperature" that's true but not nearly the whole story. A magicaly property of water-steam is the huge amount of energy involved in the "Latent Heat of Vaporization", that's the energy required to vaporize water to steam after the fluid is at boiling temperature (nominal 212F). To heat water takes about 1 BTU/lb-Deg F so heating water from 112 to 212 takes about 100 BTU, once at 212 F it take another about 1,000 BTU to vaporize it, no change in temperature, still at 212 F. So going the other way, such as with a steam burn your skin must remove that same 1,000 BTU just to condense the steam before the temperature drops at all. So answer is not just the temperature but the huge amount of energy in the steam that holds that temperature. With water, by the time 100 BTU/lb are transferred to your body, water is down to 112 F, if you get hit with steam, your body must absorb 1,100 BTU/lb of steam before you get to that condition. Get it? 11-time more energy so a very much worse burn.

Related questions

Why are steam burns on the skin so severe?

It is not really more. Steam is the gas form of water, and thus hotter than the liquid form. 1000C (at 1au at sea level) is the boiling point of water. 400C water will not burn you, but 990C will. Steam at 1010C will burn you, but steam at 5000C would burn worse. So your answer is steam is hotter, but how much more of a burn you get also has to do with the amount of steam or water you come in contact with, and the temperature the steam or water is.


Why burn caused due to steam is more severe than the boiling water at same temperature?

steam causes severe burns because of change of state i.e. liquid to gas with effects our skin. where as boiling water is only liquid which is hot but it does not effect the skin more than water.Thus higher the temperature of steam as compared to water. cause more severe burns than boiling water


Why are burns so painful?

Steam burns are painful because they damage the skin just like any other burn. Steam burns hurt because the water in steam keeps the heat trapped in the skin.


Why would Steam at 100 degree celsius burn worse than that of liquid water AT the same temperature?

As the steam comes in contact with the skin, it becomes water, and releases more energy (about 2188 joules per gram) on contact than water at the same temperature.


Is a 100 degrees celsius engine water temperature safe?

No. That's the temperature at which water turns to steam. If it comes in contact with your unprotected skin, it will burn you, i.e. cook the skin.


Would one gram of water at 100 degrees Celsius cause a more severe burn than one gram of steam at 100 degrees Celsius?

In theorie... no... in practice... yes. The steam has 6 times the amount of heat energy. If the 1 gram of steam would be applied to the same surface area of skin as the 1 gram of water, and all the steam would give off its heat till it has the same temperature of the skin, it would have given off about 6 times the amount of heat as the liquid water. This would result in a way more severe burn. But steam wil spread its heat over a way larger surface area, it wont condens easily on your skin (because a skin temperature of 30oC isn't exactly cold) and it doesnt stick to your skin like liquid water does. So i would rather have the 1 gram of steam poured over me than the 1 gram of water.


Why is a steam burn worse than a hot water burn?

Because gases or vapours like steam are much poorer conductors than liquid water. The heat energy given to the skin area takes longer to dissipate (or go away), so the damage to your skin is greater.


Why is a burn caused by a steam more severe than a burn caused by a boiling water if they have the same temperature?

Steam carries more energy than boiling water. When water is at its boiling point, it requires additional energy to boost it into a gaseous state. When the steam comes in contact with a cooler object and condense back to a liquid, it releases that energy as heat. If that object is human skin, that heat will cause a burn. - - - - - It would be very rare to have steam with the same temperature as boiling liquid water. The only way to keep water liquid past 100 degrees C is to put it under pressure. By contrast, once you have formed steam you can raise it to just about any temperature you want - there are many industrial processes that require steam at 600 degrees F. Hence, at least part of the reason burns from steam are more severe than burns from boiling water, is the steam is hotter.


Is smoke hotter than fire?

A fire burn consumes your skin as fuel and would keep going until the fuel is gone or it is deprived of oxygen. A steam burn is just water or a liquid that has a lot of thermal energy that it wants to transfer to something that is colder (like your skin). A fire burn would persist, while a steam burn would just get it's thermal energy sapped out and condense into a liquid.


Why is steam at 100degree celsius more dangerous than water at 100degree celsius?

Because when in contact with human skin steam condenses into boiling water. This causes the serious damages seen in steam burns.


Suggest a reason why steam at 100 degrees Celsius causes more servere burning then water at 100 degrees Celsius?

When boiling water hits the skin it burns; but immeiately starts to cool down having given up some of its heat to the body. When steam hits the skin it starts to condense; giving up its latent heat of vapourisation and remains at 100 degrees until condensed. So in this case more heat is given up to the skin, hence the burn is more severe.


Which will produce more severe burn boiling water at 100 degree or steam?

AnswerSteamAdded:Steam causes more severe burns as compared to boiling water because steam contains more heat (i.e 40.6 kJ/mol condensation heat) then boiling water, both at the same temperature 100 oC.From that condensation is momentanous when in contact with skin, after being liquefied it behaves the same as boiling water: still 100 oC and cooling down is slower than condensation.