Do NOT try melting paraffin in your microwave!!!!!

First, it won't work. Second, it can destroy your oven!!!!

As to why it won't work - - - you first have to understand
how a microwave oven does work.

Microwaves cause molecules that have a charge
(like water or alcohol) to align to the wave as it
passes. After the wave passes, the charged molecule
goes back to whatever direction it wants to point,
at least until the next wave passes by, at which
point the charged molecule realigns again.

So, you have a bunch of charged molecules
aligning and becoming randomly arranged,
millions of times a second (frequency of a
microwave). While these charged molecules
are aligning and un-aligning, they are bumping
into each other. This causes friction, which
causes heat. Which is how aqueous or
alcoholic solutions (or your supper) heats up.

Now, some things do NOT have charges to
them. Like the glass or pyrex or plastic in the
coplin jar or casserole dish. So the molecule
do NOT move. So there is NO friction.
Therefore no warming.

Paraffin also does NOT have charges. Paraffin
is non-polar. So the paraffin molecules do not
move, so there is no friction, so there is no
heat generated, so the paraffin does not melt.

So, trying to heat paraffin in a microwave oven
is like turning on the microwave oven WITHOUT
anything in it. Not a good idea, as it can harm
the microwave oven.

The only way the paraffin can melt a little, is if
the microwave oven is left "on" a LONG time,
thereby heating the container that the paraffin
is being held in. And the heat of the container
melts the paraffin. But during this time, the
oven could be damaged.

SO DO NOT HEAT PARAFFIN IN THE
MICROWAVE!!!

(The only exception, if you want to consider
this, is drying slides in the microwave oven. But
in this case, the water between the slide and the
tissue/paraffin section is being heated. In this
case, it is usually advised to have a beaker of
water in the back corner of the microwave, so
that there is something to absorb the microwaves,
so that the oven is not harmed.)

Just curious - why ARE you trying to heat
paraffin in the microwave oven? How well is
it melting?

Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)SLS
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, MI 48073

----- Original Message -----
From: "P. Emry" 
To: 
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2001 5:07 PM
Subject: microwave/paraffin


> I may be worrying for no good reason, but is it safe to microwave paraffin
> to melt it?  How long and in what kind of container?  Is there a chance of
> fire if over-heated?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Trisha
>
>
>
>