As for ice not melting in the microwave oven . . .

This is true, but ONLY try this, if you have put
a beaker of water in the back of the microwave oven.

There must be a water load that will absorb some
of the microwaves. Otherwise, since the ice will
NOT absorb the microwaves, it is like turning on
the microwave oven without anything in it. And
this will HARM THE MICROWAVE OVEN!

As I explained in the earlier email on microwave,
heat is caused by charge molecules becoming
aligned and un-aligned as the microwave passes
by, so the molecules bump into each other,
causing friction, therefore producing heat.

Water is a dipole. One side of the water molecule,
the oxygen side, is negatively charged. The other side
of the water molecule, with the two hydrogens, is
positively charged. So as the negatively charged
microwave passes by, the positive side of the liquid
water molecules  aligns itself to the negatively
charged microwave. After the wave passes,
the water molecule can un-align itself to any
direction. After all, liquid water molecules can
move around.

However, in ice, the water molecules are
"frozen" in place, in a lattice arrangement. They are
"bonded" to each other . . . the positively charged
hydrogen atoms on one water molecule to the
negatively charged oxygen atoms of a separate
or different water molecule. So the positive
hydrogen atoms won't/can't be attracted to the
microwave passing by, so the frozen water molecule
can't move, so no friction, no heat.

Isn't histology great???? I bet, when you started
in histology, that you never knew that one day,
you were going to find out how your microwave
at home cooks your casserole!!! (On the other
hand, histotechs and pathologists are ALWAYS
relating histology/pathology to food . . . nutmeg
livers, sugar coated spleens, apple green birefringence,
etc., etc. etc.)

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

----- Original Message -----
From: "kwalters" 
To: "P. Emry" ; "HistoNet"

Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2001 6:15 PM
Subject: RE: microwave/paraffin


> >===== Original Message From "P. Emry"  =====
> >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
>
>
> Dear Trisha,
>
> Paraffin is invisable to microwaves, so it won't melt in the microwave.
> Neither will ice, if you want to amaze your friends...  It has something
to do
> with the crystaline structure, but then I'm no chemist...
>
> Kathy
>
> Kathy Walters                                //
> Central Microscopy Research Facility        / /
> 85 EMRB                                    / /\
> University of Iowa                        / /\ \
> Iowa City, Iowa 52242                    / /  \ \
> Phone #:  (319) 335-8142                / /    \ \
> Fax #:  (319) 384-4469                ______   ((0))
> email: Katherine-Walters@uiowa.edu     |__|    / /
>                                         ||    / /
>                                      --------------
>                                    ------------------
>
>
>