No, water cannot be boiled above 100 degrees Celsius under standard atmospheric conditions. At this temperature, water undergoes a phase change from liquid to gas, known as boiling, and further heating will not raise its temperature beyond this point.
Can you boil water above 100 degrees?
Water cannot be boiled above 100 degrees Celsius under standard atmospheric conditions. This is due to a fundamental property of water known as its boiling point. The boiling point is the temperature at which water transitions from a liquid state to a gaseous state, and for water, this occurs at exactly 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) at sea level.
Boiling is a phase change process where the thermal energy supplied to the liquid water causes the water molecules to gain enough kinetic energy to overcome the intermolecular forces holding them together. As this energy is absorbed, the water molecules become more energetic and move faster, eventually transitioning into the gas phase.
“If you can cut yourself and bleed, then you have water. If you can’t and you only cry tears, then you don’t have a tear-gland. The difference between water and a tear is salt. You can boil water above 100 degrees Celsius, but you can’t do that with tears.” – Jarod Kintz
Here are some interesting facts related to the boiling point of water:
- The boiling point of water is not constant and varies depending on factors such as altitude and the presence of impurities. At higher altitudes, where the atmospheric pressure is lower, the boiling point of water decreases. For example, at the top of Mount Everest, which has an elevation of 8,848 meters (29,029 feet), water boils at around 68 degrees Celsius (154 degrees Fahrenheit).
- The boiling point of water can also be affected by the addition of substances such as salt or sugar. Adding salt to water increases its boiling point, while adding sugar slightly raises the boiling point as well.
- Water can be heated above 100 degrees Celsius without boiling through a process called superheating. Superheating occurs when water is heated in a clean container without any nucleation points for boiling to initiate. When a nucleation point is introduced, such as a slight disturbance or the addition of a solute, the superheated water can rapidly boil and potentially cause a violent release of steam.
- The boiling point of water is used as a reference point for the Celsius temperature scale, whereby 0 degrees Celsius is defined as the freezing point of pure water and 100 degrees Celsius is defined as its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure.
By understanding the concept of boiling and the boiling point of water, we can appreciate the physical properties and behavior of this vital substance. So remember, while water may seem ordinary and familiar, it has remarkable properties that make it essential for life as we know it.
Answer in video
The video illustrates that while liquid water cannot exceed 100 degrees Celsius, once it transforms into a gas, the temperature can be heightened far beyond the boiling point. By heating water in its gaseous state, the host achieved a temperature of several hundred degrees Celsius, enough to burn a piece of paper. The speaker further explained that the dispersed water in the gas phase causes steam not to have enough thermal energy, so it doesn’t burn one’s hand even when it’s close to 100 degrees Celsius. As long as water is in its gas phase, it can be heated above 100 degrees Celsius.
View the further responses I located
Let’s talk only about pure water, and only water at or close to atmospheric pressure. At the surface between air and water, or between steam and water, water boils at 100 °C. Water boils at 100 °C if there is already a bubble of steam (or air) present. But in the absence of bubbles, water can be heated above 100 °C.
Liquid water can be hotter than 100 °C (212 °F) and colder than 0 °C (32 °F). Heating water above its boiling point without boiling is called superheating. If water is superheated, it can exceed its boiling point without boiling.
But when you heat water to tempertature over 100°C, it starts to boil, increasing pressure in contailner.
Certainly. It can attain any temperature up to the point you would get disassociation of the constituent atoms that make up the molecule. I think maybe the question is can you have water as a liquid above 100 ⁰C and the answer to that is also yes, but you have to pressurize it above 1 atmosphere, because the boiling point of water at 1 atmosphere is 100 ⁰C.