# Are There Any Liquids Into Which You Can Safely Put Your Hand When They're Boiling? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 24, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006 "2017-01-24T03:06:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/21 "2017-01-24T17:31:28Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > ^ Molten lead, too. Good old Leidenfrost. [Fun with Leidenfrost](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWhUloW0fRE) ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/22 "2017-01-24T17:35:53Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Right. If it’s below 30 F the butane won’t be at the vapor point. All these hydrocarbons need to be vaporized and mixed with oxygen before they burn like we think they should burn. Indeed. Was thinking maybe that in arctic temperatures, liquid butane might have some of the same advantages that liquid gasoline does in more ordinary Earth climates (e.g. can be stored without pressurization, etc.). Maybe a liquid butane internal combustion engine makes sense in sub-zero temps for certain applications? ---
**Author:** ![Onthefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de053/32.png) [@Onthefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onthefly)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/23 "2017-01-24T18:16:18Z")
For all who mentioned the hazards from the fumes of various boiling liquids, the real concern would be the vapors. Fumes are something different. I know this is a nit pick. Fumes, vapors, gasses, mists, and smoke are all different things. The terms are not interchangeable. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/24 "2017-01-24T18:39:56Z")
Wow, did I read that question wrong … I was going to say boiling steel ought not the be harmed if someone stuck their hand in … but it wouldn’t be very good for the hand I guess … ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/25 "2017-01-24T19:11:41Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Just in terms of temperature, you could try diethyl ether, which boils at 94 F. But there are, well, other considerations. Such as? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/26 "2017-01-24T19:22:43Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Wow, did I read that question wrong … I was going to say boiling steel ought not the be harmed if someone stuck their hand in … but it wouldn’t be very good for the hand I guess … “How high can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without breaking it?” ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/27 "2017-01-24T19:40:46Z")
Leidenfrost protecting your hand? Your hand is protected from the heat of molten lead for the brief moment it is enveloped in a film of boiling vapor. That’s safe? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/28 "2017-01-24T20:07:32Z")
> [@Onthefly](#): > > For all who mentioned the hazards from the fumes of various boiling liquids, the real concern would be the vapors. Fumes are something different. I know this is a nit pick. Fumes, vapors, gasses, mists, and smoke are all different things. The terms are not interchangeable. “Fumes” is not (so far as I’m aware) a technical term with a restricted meaning, and dictionary definitions for the colloquial meaning are all quite similar, e.g. “gas, smoke or vapor”. Also, for what it’s worth, “nitpick” is usually one word and the correct spelling is “gases”. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/29 "2017-01-24T20:49:30Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > “How high can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without breaking it?” If a plane crashes on the US/Canadian border … which side of the line to you bury the survivors? ---
**Author:** ![joema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@joema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joema)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/30 "2017-01-24T20:57:11Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > [This list](http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/boiling-points-fluids-gases-d_155.html) mentions a handful of chemicals that boil at temperatures that would be safe to the human hand…Are there any liquids that a) aren’t dangerous to human skin, and b) boil at a temperature that is safe for human skin? At sufficiently high altitude you can stick your hand into boiling water without any harm, since it boils at room temperature. Here is an Air Force volunteer holding a beaker of boiling water in his bare hands. He’s in a vacuum chamber at 65,000 ft. He’s not wearing a space suit but a partial pressure suit with no gloves on: [Reddit - Dive into anything](https://i.redd.it/7y2pmsianuxx.jpg) On Mt. Everest, water boils at about 160F, but that would still harm human skin if exposed for more than about 1 second. At high pressure the opposite happens. If a saturation diver in a deep sea habitat at 10 atmospheres spilled boiling water, it would be at 350F. That would do more than just burn you. But the above link does say at standard atmospheric pressure. Butane has already been mentioned but R-11 Freon boils at 74.9F, so a brief exposure would probably not hurt human skin. Prolonged exposure is supposedly a skin irritant. ---
**Author:** ![Onthefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de053/32.png) [@Onthefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onthefly)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/31 "2017-01-25T00:35:57Z")
Sorry about the spelling. In safety and industrial hygiene fumes, vapors, gases, mists, and smoke are all different. Sometimes they occur together. In the molten steel and lead examples, you would have fumes in the air. In the heated or evaporating liquid examples, you would have vapors. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/32 "2017-01-25T01:08:59Z")
So, if (in some parlance) there is a difference, don’t leave us hanging. What is it? ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/33 "2017-01-25T01:13:24Z")
I’d throw out methyl propyl ether. It boils just a bit above room temperature, at 38.8 °C (101.8 °F). Like most of these except for the high-altitude water example, you should be careful about breathing in the vapors. It was once used as a general anesthetic. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/34 "2017-01-25T01:37:15Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Such as? (concerning diethyl either “considerations”) Very volatile, very flammable, forms explosive vapor/air mixtures readily. That was a big problem when the stuff was used as an anesthetic. You may know it today as automotive starting fluid. ---
**Author:** ![Onthefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de053/32.png) [@Onthefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onthefly)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/35 "2017-01-25T02:14:59Z")
In general: Vapors come from evaporating liquids. Fumes from heated metal. Mists contain small particles of airborne liquid. Dusts contain small particles of airborne solids. Smoke is the result of burning and contains some combination of gases, dust, and possibly fumes depending on what is burning. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/36 "2017-01-25T02:45:50Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Leidenfrost protecting your hand? > > Your hand is protected from the heat of molten lead for the brief moment it is enveloped in a film of boiling vapor. That’s safe? [Cecil’s column on the subject](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/644/can-you-walk-on-hot-coals-in-bare-feet-and-not-get-burned): I admit it doesn’t sound like boiling _per se_, but when someone mentions tempting frozen death, you really need to include tempting boiling death, for balance. And for the record, none of these seem particularly safe for one reason or another. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/37 "2017-01-25T05:45:43Z")
Low pressure refrigerants. R 11 boils at 75 degrees R 123 boils at 85 degrees ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/38 "2017-01-25T17:23:12Z")
> [@Onthefly](#): > > Sorry about the spelling. In safety and industrial hygiene fumes, vapors, gases, mists, and smoke are all different. Sometimes they occur together. In the molten steel and lead examples, you would have fumes in the air. In the heated or evaporating liquid examples, you would have vapors. > [@Chronos](#): > > So, if (in some parlance) there is a difference, don’t leave us hanging. What is it? Metal fumes are airborne droplets/particles of metal. Small enough to float around and get into your lungs, so act similar to a gas, but metal is not actually in the gas phase. Smoke is, I think, pretty clear. I’m not sure what the distinction between vapors and gases is (unless ‘vapor’ implies that there’s a liquid source somewhere). I’d assume a mist is airborne droplets of finely-dispersed liquid. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/39 "2017-01-25T17:27:05Z")
> [@Onthefly](#): > > In general: > Vapors come from evaporating liquids. > **Fumes from heated metal.** > Mists contain small particles of airborne liquid. > Dusts contain small particles of airborne solids. > Smoke is the result of burning and contains some combination of gases, dust, and possibly fumes depending on what is burning. See top two comments [here](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fume). Given that, it seems to me that “fumes” meaning _specifically_ “gaseous emissions from heated metal” falls under the category of technical jargon. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006/40 "2017-01-25T17:30:40Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > You could do dichloromethane, but I can tell you from personal experience with skin exposure it will be somewhat painful. A brief, one-time exposure won’t really hurt you. (The problem with DCM is that almost nothing stops it from penetrating, except for laminate-style materials or other massive gloves with no dexterity. It’ll go right through a disposable nitrile glove and into the skin.) Dichloromethane, aka Methylene Chloride, is the most common of the liquids they used to put in those Christmas “bubble lights”. It boils (satisfactorily, with bubbles and all) at 103 F = 39.6 C. It is relatively harmless, they say (nobody mentioned the pain [B}asterion\*\* mentions), but is considered possibly carcinogenic. > **[Dichloromethane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichloromethane)** > > Dichloromethane (DCM, methylene chloride, or methylene bichloride) is an organochlorine compound with the formula .mw-parser-output .template-chem2-su{display:inline-block;font-size:80%;line-height:1;vertical-align:-0.35em}.mw-parser-output .template-chem2-su\>span{display:block;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output sub.template-chem2-sub{font-size:80%;vertical-align:-0.35em}.mw-parser-output sup.template-chem2-sup{font-size:80%;vertical-align:0.65em}CH2Cl2. This colorless, volatile liquid with a chlo... > **[Bubble light](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_light)** > > A bubble light is a decorative device consisting of a liquid-filled vial that is heated and illuminated by an incandescent light bulb. Because of the liquid's low boiling point, 39.6°C (103.3°F), the modest heat generated by the lamp causes the liquid to boil and bubble up from the vial's base thus creating a decorative effect. > The liquid is almost always methylene chloride, a solvent that is toxic and possibly carcinogenic.\[citation needed\] It is generally sealed in a glass vial or capsule to p... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-liquids-into-which-you-can-safely-put-your-hand-when-theyre-boiling/778006.md?page=3)