Have you ever wondered what would happen if you poured molten copper on to a Big Mac?
one person did wonder that very thing – and has now done it, videoed it, and uploaded the results to YouTube. At time of writing, more than 2.1 million people have watched it.
So, what does happen?
The molten copper – which has a melting point of 1085°C – rolled right off the patty, suggesting the humble Big Mac is actually “indestructible and possibly indigestible”.
“While the video footage is real, it doesn’t demonstrate any ‘indestructible’ aspects of a Big Mac. In fact, the results showcased in this video could likely be replicated with any burger (or similar food item), regardless of brand. Rather, the video is an example of the Leidenfrost effect, which is defined by Engineers Edge as ‘a phenomenon in which a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than the liquid’s boiling point, produces an insulating vapor layer keeping that liquid from boiling rapidly.’
“In other words, the moisture in the Big Mac instantly boiled when it came in contact with the molten copper, and the resulting steam created an insulating layer which initially protected the burger. This made it look like the molten copper was simply bouncing off the Big Mac patty.”
Mythbusters demonstrated this back in 2009 by showing the Leidenfrost effect in action. The subjects dipped their hands in water, and then into a pot of molten lead at 450°C. Both subjects came out completely unharmed, describing the sensation as “kind of warm and pleasant”.
The video was made by YouTuber Tito4re, whose has previously filmed himself pouring molten copper onto all manner of hings, including an apple, popcorn, ice and a tennis ball.