ice boils water
Under certain conditions ice can be used to boil water. Use
a thick glass jar with a metal lid of the type with a plastic
seal. A 4 to 12 ounce jelly or baby food jar should work well.
Fill the jar half full with water and boil the water for one
minute in a microwave oven with the lid off the jar. Open the;
oven and place the lid on the jar very loosely. Wear safety
glasses as a precaution. Boil the water for another 30 seconds.
Immediately screw the lid down tight using a towel to protect
your hands. Remove the jar from the microwave. Wait until you
are sure the water has stopped boiling, then place an ice cube
on top of the metal lid. A dishcloth wrapped around the ice
cube but not under it, will soak up the water from melting
ice. Within a few seconds you will see the water boil again.
You may be able to keep it boiling for 5 minutes by replacing
ice cubes after they melt away and wringing out the dishcloth.
This works because steam displaced the air above the water
when the jar was in the microwave oven. The ice condenses
the water vapor into liquid leaving very little of anything
in the space above the water. The very low pressure that
results lets the water boil even though its temperature is
much below its normal boiling point.
After the water has cooled enough it will no longer boil by
applying ice. If the lid is left tightly sealed it can be made
to work again by placing the jar for about 2 minutes in a pan
of very hot water. Do not heat the sealed jar in a microwave
oven or directly on a stove, all the ingredients for a glass
shrapnel bomb are there.