Steam is formed at 100°C but I see “steam” being produced at less than that temperature. What is that and why isn’t it steam?
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If you have an electric kettle, take a look directly above the spout as it’s boiling – you’ll see a separation between top of the spout and the plume of vapour – that’s steam. It’s transparent. Steam is water in gas form. That plume you see is NOT steam, it’s water vapour, that’s liquid water in an aerosolised microdroplet form. As the gas steam meets the cooler air it rapidly condenses back into liquid droplets forming the vapour. Most people mistake water vapour, that cloudy plume, for steam.
Steam is actually pretty nasty stuff – can cause severe burns, even worse than boiling water since it often has a force component to it. Can cause rapid changes, both positive and negative (as it cools) in pressure vessels leading to catastrophic failures.
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