Have you ever wondered just what exactly would happen to a gummy bear if you added it to a test tube containing heated potassium chlorate? I know I’ve been dying to know.
What, you don’t believe me? Ok, ok, you caught me. The truth is, I had no idea what the hell this was all about. Turns out, there’s a high school chemistry demonstration that shows how the sugars in a gummy bear interact with liquefied potassium chlorate to create a really cool flame-y jet looking thing.
I’m the first to admit that I’m not exactly a math and science type person. However, I’m fairly sure I would have remembered an experiment like this in either my high school or college classes, if only due to the scary fire it produces. I’m generally not a big fan of fire, but watching it online isn’t too bad!
Above you see a video of this chemical reaction using a gummi bear (poor bear!). Who’d have thought one little gummi bear could produce that much fire? Just remember kids, don’t try this at home!
WOW!, that was a pretty Rad reaction…
January 18th, 2007 at 5:35 pmHey that’s cool.
January 18th, 2007 at 11:59 pmOh… I would be bad if I was present during that…
January 19th, 2007 at 4:09 am“Put a Skittle in there! Fun Dip! Pop Rocks!” ^o^
Whatis a common formof this potassium chlorate, i would like to but some and do an experiment in my own science class! Please contact me.
March 16th, 2007 at 10:48 amSorry, chemistry was never my strong point. I really have no idea what form in comes in, or even where to get it.
March 16th, 2007 at 2:20 pmAwsome that was really cool! I do feel sorry for the gummy bear though :(
May 17th, 2007 at 5:45 pmI did this experiment a LONG time ago during a summer school (actually, a geek camp) program and it was the most wonderful experiment I’ve ever done. seeing the experiment is one thing, but the air afterward is scented with a burnt sugar (marshmellow) smell – it’s one of those memories that sticks with you for a long, long time. :)
kudos to candyaddict.com for blogging about it! :)
May 18th, 2007 at 6:25 am