If a metal electode is placed inside a microwave oven, air inside the microwave resonant cavity is ionized and we get plazma formation and the resultant lighning bolts.  If an atomized spray of water is introduced in the cavity would the microwave energy and plazma formation result in combustion of the water vapor?

try it...........

     Tried it in a microwave oven and yes the water burns.  Didn't inject the mist just put some on a plate and let her boil up into the plazma arc.  The biggest problem is the plazma arc is so energetic that it melts and rounds off the electrode tips.  Once these tips go round the microwave energy stops being concentrated and the plazma goes away.  When she's cooking the flames can detach and burn like in a slow motion wave.  Tough to focus the waves in such a large cavity to get the ionization to happen where you want it.

Quote from: sparks on October 09, 2008, 09:41:54 AM
     Tried it in a microwave oven and yes the water burns.  Didn't inject the mist just put some on a plate and let her boil up into the plazma arc.  The biggest problem is the plazma arc is so energetic that it melts and rounds off the electrode tips.  Once these tips go round the microwave energy stops being concentrated and the plazma goes away.  When she's cooking the flames can detach and burn like in a slow motion wave.  Tough to focus the waves in such a large cavity to get the ionization to happen where you want it.

and what was the difference without the water? from what u wrote in the first post i deduce that water was not needed to create the plazma..

    Without the water there was intense white light coming from either electrode tip.
  When the water was introduced the plazma stream was blue and white extending across the gap (3/4") with a very large yellow and sometimes blue flame rising from the plazma arc and sustaining in the cavity traveling towards the upper part of the oven and sometimes towards a corner.  When out of water the electrodes turned red and no further plazma just redhot electrodes melting.  What I found peculiar was there was no water vapor left when I opened the door.  Some heating of the cabinet and ceramics.