Why does steam produce more severe burns on skin as compared to boiling water
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Steam produces more severe burns than that of boiling water because molecules of steam possess more kinetic energy than molecules of boiling water.
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Steam is a form of water formed by vaporizing or boiling liquid water.
Now there's something very interesting about the change of state, whenever there is a transition from one state to other no change in temperature can be observed, and all the heat energy provided is used to increase the intermolecular space, this is known as latent heat.
Now whenever there is a transition from gaseous to liquid state, energy is released which is equal to latent heat (to decrease inter-molecular space).
Coming back to steam, so whenever steam comes in contact with our skin it starts condensing and releases it's latent heat which in combination with its temperature (100° C) gives a severe burn and on the other hand water at 100° C can lose no latent heat and can cause a burn only with the provided temperature of 100° C doesn't gives a severe burn.
Hope it helps ^_^
Now there's something very interesting about the change of state, whenever there is a transition from one state to other no change in temperature can be observed, and all the heat energy provided is used to increase the intermolecular space, this is known as latent heat.
Now whenever there is a transition from gaseous to liquid state, energy is released which is equal to latent heat (to decrease inter-molecular space).
Coming back to steam, so whenever steam comes in contact with our skin it starts condensing and releases it's latent heat which in combination with its temperature (100° C) gives a severe burn and on the other hand water at 100° C can lose no latent heat and can cause a burn only with the provided temperature of 100° C doesn't gives a severe burn.
Hope it helps ^_^
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