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Basically, the acid removes water from the carbohydrate, which is sucrose. After the “snake” has cooled you can touch it, but be careful, it may be hot. The carbon form the “snake” will get onto your hands, so wash your hands after the experiment. This was delivered safely and effectively, capturing both the children and the parents for the duration of the presentation.

Paranitroaniline can be used instead of sugar, if the experiment is allowed to proceed under an obligatory fumehood. With this method the reaction phase prior to the black snake’s appearance is longer, but once complete, the black snake itself rises from the container very rapidly. This reaction may cause an explosion if too much sulfuric acid is used.

Instead, it evenly distributes the heat from the burning lighter fluid to the sugar and the baking soda, ensuring a slow, steady burn and the growth of a long carbon sugar snake. Carbon foam was synthesized by the carbonization of 4-nitroaniline. The reaction is an alternative of the well-known “carbon snake” demonstration experiment, which leads to the formation of nitrogen-doped carbon foils due to its nitrogen content. The synthesized carbon foils were grinded to achieve an efficient catalyst support. Palladium nanoparticles were deposited onto the surface of the support, which showed continuous distribution. The prepared Pd nanoparticle decorated carbon foils showed high catalytic activity in nitrobenzene hydrogenation.

Shake the vial for 10 seconds to mix sugar and sodium bicarbonate. You must never taste any of the chemicals or products of the reactions that you work with, even if, in theory, it should be safe to do so. Perhaps you got an unexpected product from your reaction, or perhaps the starting chemicals contained impurities.

The photosynthesis process takes in carbon dioxide from the air, then uses solar radiation to break it up, combining the carbon with water and converting it into chemical energy – sugars. The extra sugar heats up but doesn’t have access to any oxygen. Instead of burning it produces solid carbon and more water vapor.

This pushes more of the sugar/baking soda mixture upwards. Image by Home Science/YouTube As mentioned before, when the mixture burns, the baking soda gets hot, and it decomposes to release carbon dioxide gas. A lack national homebrewers conference 2016 of oxygen in the sugar from the combustion creates carbonate and water vapor. The pressure from the CO2 gas pushes this carbonate out to form the snake, which should continue growing for 20 minutes, give or take.

Now, this solid carbon gives the snake a certain shape, and it also gives the snake its black color. Finally, baking soda will also decompose in the heat to produce solid sodium carbonate, carbon dioxide gas, and water vapor. In short, these three reactions simultaneously produce the solid components of the snake and hot gases , which make the snake expand and expand out of the sand table. The baking soda decomposes at high temperatures and releases lots of CO2.