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Phoebe: "Think you can melt him like the street in front of the Manor?"
Leo: "It sounds like she sped up the molecules in the tar until it melted. That won't work on The Source."
— Leo explains how Piper's Molecular Acceleration works.[src]

Molecular Acceleration is the ability to make molecules reverberate at a speed which causes them to become disordered. This causes an object to rapidly heat up, and as a result, the power can cause objects to melt or burn.

Piper Halliwell has displayed multiple aspects of this power; proving that it can be a very useful and versatile ability.

Usage

Using this power the possessor can:

  • Speed up molecules to make objects melt.
  • Speed up molecules to make objects ignite.
  • Speed up molecules to heat up objects.
  • Speed up air molecules to apply heat and force to an object.

Overview

This power is a more controlled form of Molecular Combustion. With it, the user can speed up molecules to achieve a multitude of different effects. It is channeled through the hands.

Melting

Molecular Acceleration 5

Piper melts the street

"Piper, you melted the street!"
Phoebe's first reaction to Piper's power[src]

Users can melt an object by speeding up the molecules within said object so that its molecular structure breaks down and becomes liquid. So far, this is considered the most potent effect of the power.

The first time Piper used this powerful ability, she was able to melt the road beneath the The Source of All Evil, who had recently returned in the form of a Golem. She had intended to blow him up, but instead her new ability awakened and allowed her to slow him down; causing his feet to sink into the melted tar and giving the sisters enough time to escape his fireball.

Ignition

Molecular Acceleration 6

Tamora creates a circle of fire

"Tam probably speeds up molecules fast enough that they catch fire"
Phoebe explains how Tamora's power works[src]

Users can create fire by speeding up the molecules within an object, causing the object to burst into flames. The explosive effects of Piper's Molecular Combustion can sometimes create and cause a lasting fire, the distinction however is that this aspect of Molecular Acceleration allows her to cause ignition without any explosive force.

Piper has used it to create fire on a number of occasions; the first time was when she focused her power onto a rope, burning through the middle and causing it to split. Tamora used it twice to create rings of fire. Piper also used it more offensively to set a demon on fire.

This aspect shows similarities to Pyrokinesis, as both powers can create fire. However, this ability does not allow the user to manipulate or control fire.

Heating

Halliwell's Power

Piper heating air molecules to move the Orb Shield

Leo: "Can you manipulate the air molecules to fly us across?"
Piper: "I can try"

Users can increase the temperature of an object by speeding up the molecules in the object, causing it to boil or superheat to scalding temperatures.

Piper has developed such a degree of control over her molecular speeding ability that she can heat up objects without causing them to melt, burn or explode. Piper was seen using this ability when cooking, using the power to heat up a pot of liquid and making it bubble just by holding her hand over the pot.

Piper also used this aspect to heat up the air molecules around Paige's Orb Shield, so that she was able to use the air pressure to force the shield across a battlefield with the support of Phoebe's Levitation power.

Using the power to create heat shows similarities to Thermokinesis, which is the ability to create, control and manipulate heat. However, the user is limited only to increasing temperatures through molecular speeding.

Limitations

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The power is channeled through Piper's hands.

The power has a few known limitations:

  • The user must be able to move/point his/her hands in the target's direction.
  • The possessor must see the object/person he/she wants to melt, set on fire or heat up.
  • This power is solely channeled through the hands.
  • According to Leo, any attempts to melt The Source would be futile. He never explained why it wouldn't work, although The Source has been resistant to other molecular powers in the past.
  • Inexperienced users may cause uncontrolled fires. When baby Tamora first came into her powers she used them to create a fire in her room, which unfortunately spread throughout the house.

Gallery

Small triquetra The Molecular Acceleration article has a Photo Gallery.

Notes and Trivia

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Piper's hand glows as she displays her Molecular Accerelation ability

  • Usually, whenever Piper has used this power, her hands and/or the targeted object glow. However, this is considered to be an effect used to display the power in the comics, as very similar effects are commonly used to illustrate other powers.
  • Due to heat having different effects on different materials (some things burning long before they would melt and vice versa), it is unknown whether Piper can decide the exact effect that her power has. It most likely depends on what she is targeting.
  • So far, Piper's hands have glowed in four covers of the comics. Many fans believe that this is to represent Piper's Molecular Acceleration. However, two of these covers were prior to Piper developing the ability and David Seidman stated that most of the time when he draws Piper with glowing hands on covers, it is just to represent how she channels her powers in general, for artistic effect.
  • Piper gained this power in 2008, it is a greater control of her Molecular Combustion power.
  • Molecular Acceleration seems to be the opposite of Molecular Deceleration. Where as Deceleration is the less potent version of Molecular Immobilization, Acceleration is the less potent version of Molecular Combustion. However, Acceleration has appeared to be a much more versatile power.
  • Piper can produce heat and fire with this ability, making her the only Charmed One that can create a kind of elemental effect.
  • The one result of Molecular Acceleration that is constant, regardless of which aspect of the power is used, is the increase of the target's temperature.
  • As seen with Tamora Mitchell, this power does not have to be developed from Molecular Combustion, in fact it is expected that Tamora's power will develop vice-versa.

List of Users

See also

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