ELi5: Why does it get super wet in a gas ovens when you first turn it on? Like a bunch of water condenses on the window and everything. Yes i am stupid
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Natural gas is mostly methane. Methane’s chemical formula is CH4, with the C representing a carbon atom and the H4 representing four hydrogen atoms. When methane burns, it reacts with oxygen gas in the air. The carbon combines with oxygen to become CO2, aka carbon dioxide, and the hydrogen combines with oxygen to become H2O—aka water.
Since the reaction releases a lot of heat, the water starts out as steam, which is an invisible gas. When it hits the still-cool glass of the oven door, the steam cools and condenses into liquid.
One of the bi-products of burning gas is water vapor as the hydrogen component of combines with oxygen. You don’t usually see it however because the air is heated enough the water doesn’t condense out. If the recently burned gas come in contact with a cold surface however, like the glass door of your oven, the water condenses out.
Water becomes vapor when it gets hot, and there is water in the air. It tries to expand and escape but is trapped by the glass of the oven, and it collects on the glass which is cooled by the outside air. It is also possible that some of the food you cooked previously let off some water vapor that got caught inside the oven. This causes the water to condense and form drops. You see the same thing when the glass walls of a shower get drops from the steam of a hot shower. Also, you’re not stupid. Curiosity is a sign of intelligence, and were all doing our best to learn.
Great question and observation, I’ve never even noticed. I guess I’m always just preheating and turn it on and walk away for minutes
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