Eli5: How come some popcorn kernels refuse to pop?

Question

Eli5: How come some popcorn kernels refuse to pop?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

There are two types of defective popcorn kernels. Some kernels get cracked during the shipping process and dry out, which means they don’t have enough water in them to pop.

Some other kernels have too tough of an outer shell which means that they resist popping even though there’s sufficient steam inside.