Ten seconds seems like quite a long time to submerge your hand in liquid nitrogen without ending up with serious burns. I&#x27;m not sure I believe that. Perhaps it was shorter and you were briefly protected by this:<p>&gt; Dr Alex Valavanis [notes that] liquid nitrogen &quot;does not immediately feel cold&quot;. He says the delay in feeling the cold is down to the &quot;Leidenfrost effect&quot; - which happens when a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than the liquid&#x27;s boiling point, produces an insulating vapour layer.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;magazine-19870668" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;magazine-19870668</a>