Autoclave

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:For the article about the early 1990s Washington, D.C.-based indie rock band, see Autoclave (band).

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An autoclave is a pressurized device that enables the heating of aqueous solutions up to temperatures above the boiling point of water.

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Under ordinary circumstances, heating water above the boiling point in an open vessel is impossible. Whenever the temperature rises up to 100 ?C, water ceases to warm any more. This is due to extensive evaporation that occurs during boiling. The process of evaporation takes all the heat, thus preventing water from further heating. If water is boiled long enough, it all turns to vapor.