Boiling chip

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reising1

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I know the definition based answer for why a boiling chip is used, but I don't understand it really. The point is to prevent superheating of the liquid. Air bubbles break the surface tension and prevent superheating/bumping.

What does this mean, really?

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Superheating is where bubbles are trapped within the liquid by surface tension (which also increases ambient pressure). Having a boiling stone prevents surface tension from doing this. The main reason for this is to see the boiling point more accurately. Without a boiling stone, your results would give you a slightly higher boiling point. Not sure if that's what you were looking for but hope it helped.
 
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