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From: landauer@morocco.Sun.COM (Doug Landauer)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Nuking a lit cigarette
Message-ID: <129144@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 12 Dec 89 22:54:31 GMT
References: <7224@hubcap.clemson.edu> <2575E75B.11408@paris.ics.uci.edu> <128772@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <24756@cup.portal.com>
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Reply-To: landauer@sun.UUCP (Doug Landauer)
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> >P.S. ... ever tried to microwave a lit cigarette?
>
> ... besides permanently contaminating my microwave, just what
> *does* happen if I try zapping a lit cigarette????

(Disclaimer:  I haven't seen this tried since 1973, and it is possible
that the technology of microwave ovens and/or the chemistry of
cigarettes has changed enough to prevent this from happening nowadays.
And, it doesn't seem like it could possibly be very good for the
microwave.)

Anyway, here's what I -- er, uh, someone I used to know, yeah, that's
it -- did:  poked a cigarette-sized hole in the bowl of a plastic spoon
and stood the lit cigarette up vertically in that hole.  Then put the
assembly into the microwave, and turn it on.  What happened was that
the microwave buzzed real loud, and there was a moving, flickering
light in the air inside the oven.  The spoon (this type usually
survives a normal microwave experience) turned into a little black mass
and eventually caught fire.

The best part was that flickering light -- it looked like lightning in
there.  My guess is that the (not quite fully-oxidized) smoke particles
in the air inside the oven were igniting.  Another theory is that the
chemicals that they put in the cigarette to keep it burning were
evaporating and then igniting.  All in all, it was pretty impressive.

But -- it's probably best to use someone else's microwave.
And don't stand too close ...
-- 
  Doug Landauer -- landauer@eng.sun.com   or   ...!sun!landauer   _
  Sun Microsystems, Inc. -- SPD, SET, Languages                  La no ka 'oi.