Hand vs. Liquid Nitrogen and the Leidenfrost Effect

I stick my hand (momentarily) directly into liquid nitrogen but don't suffer any injuries due to the Leidenfrost effect. The Leidenfrost effect is the formation of a gas barrier between a hot surface and a boiling liquid if the temperature difference is great enough. This gas barrier greatly slows the heat transfer between the two and allows the liquid to last longer and consequently the hot surface to remain hot longer. This effect can be seen in a frying pan as it's being heated. At first ...

» View the original video «

YouTube | July 10, 2009

Tags:. .nitrogen. .momentarily. .boiling. .frying. .consequently