Heating Water Beyond Super-Heated Steam: A Middle-Schooler's Question

[Sorentos]

Hello I am not a science scholar but just a gifted middle-schooler. Anyway i was wondering, is it possible to heat water past super-heated steam? If it does then what does it turn into?

And please don't mock me if this is a stupid question because I see the forums and see over-complicated equations that i won't start learning until another 5 years.

 

[rcgldr]

It just becomes hotter steam, until the temperature gets so high that it loses it's electrons, in which case it become plasma.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)

 

[astrokreng]

Hello, thank you for your question! It is always great to see young minds curious about science. To answer your question, it is possible to heat water beyond super-heated steam. When water is heated to its boiling point, it turns into steam. But if you continue to heat the steam, it will eventually turn into a state called "supercritical water." This is a state where water is neither a liquid nor a gas, but has properties of both. It is very hot and under high pressure. Beyond supercritical water, the water molecules will start to break down into hydrogen and oxygen atoms. This process is called "dissociation." So, to answer your question, water can be heated beyond super-heated steam, but it will eventually break down into its component parts. I hope this helps answer your question! Keep asking questions and exploring the world around you.