======Sugar and Sulfuric Acid Carbon Snake======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Alternative titles:** Black Snake Experiment
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Fill a small beaker about two-thirds full with sugar.  
  - Carefully pour 10–15 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid onto the sugar.  
  - Wait and observe as the reaction generates heat and a black carbon mass rises out of the beaker.



====Links==== 
H2SO4 and Sugar (Carbon Snake) - MrLeavittScience: 
{{youtube>KYRzmgO1dGA?}}\\

📄 "Carbon snake" experiment - MEL Science: [[https://melscience.com/AU-en/articles/carbon-snake-experiment/?srsltid=AfmBOorFTI7ugDBb0ltD7wP0WYLO0gLWb2WaccaLAw0zFqKHpI3M-Eum]]\\

📄 Carbon Snake - UC San Diego: [[https://www-chem.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/teaching-labs/demos/demo31.html]]\\

====Variations====
  * Try using different container sizes to produce snakes of varying shapes.  
  * Use food coloring in the sugar for visual effects before the reaction begins.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Wear safety glasses and gloves.  
  * Perform the experiment in a fume hood or well-ventilated area.  
  * Avoid skin or clothing contact with sulfuric acid.  
  * Be cautious of intense heat generated during the reaction.  
  * Conduct only under professional supervision.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why does sulfuric acid cause sugar to blacken and expand? (It dehydrates sugar, removing water and leaving behind carbon.)  
  * What gases are released during the reaction? (Primarily water vapor and carbon dioxide.)  
  * Why must this experiment be performed in a fume hood? (The reaction releases gases and vapors that may be harmful in enclosed spaces.)