During nucleate pool boiling of pure water and water with cationic surfactant, the motion of bubbles and the temperature of the heated surface were recorded by a high-speed video camera and an infrared radiometer. All experiments were performed at saturated boiling conditions. The boiling curves for various concentrations were obtained and compared. The results show that the bubble behavior and the heat transfer mechanism for the surfactant solution are quite different from those of pure water. The heat transfer dependence on the relative changes of both the surface tension and the kinematic viscosity was discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.