Description
Show your students a dramatic example of an exothermic reaction!
Demonstrate carbohydrate dehydration with the popular carbon snake activity. Dehydrating sugar using concentrated sulfuric acid results in an amazing display of elemental carbon “snaking” out of a beaker. Students make predictions about the demonstration’s outcome; observe the exothermic reaction and resulting carbon column; and then construct a particle-level explanation for the reaction. This demonstration is a great addition to discussions about:
- Chemical versus physical changes
- Evidence of chemical reactions
- Exothermic reactions
- Dehydration reactions
- Decomposition reactions
- Carbohydrate structure
It requires approximately 10 min and kit materials are sufficient for 5 demonstrations.