alenasavoy (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

that was pretty damn cool

sarcasticbliss17 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

I made this in Chemistry class and got sick because I inhaled the white fumes! Not fun.

rosarockz1 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

omg i want 2 do that it looks like fun damn u ohs for not letting highskools use concentrated acid (even 4 snr students ie yr12) :(

homosarus (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

we did this in science class today, it was pretty neat

melbourne47 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

With concentrated acid, the energy released upon ionization with water is greater than the energy required to break apart the sugar molecule, so H2SO4 will 'drag away' water molecules from the sugar. It shouldn't matter which type of sugar (sucrose, glucose, fructose) is used, as all will undergo dehydration reactions. However, the grain size of the sugar will effect the rate of reaction: fine icing sugar is comprised of smaller particles so has a larger surface area for the acid to react with.

melbourne47 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

This reaction will only occur noticeably with concentrated sulfuric acid (about 98%). The reason for the reaction is that the dissociation of sulfuric acid in water is highly exothermic. Sulfuric acid is actually more stable when dissociated because the dipole in the H2SO4 molecule is greater than the dipole of a H3O+ ion. Hence ionization is favoured. Dilute acid is already more than 99% ionized, so adding sugar does not help the ionization reaction like it does with concentrated acid.

M3T4LH34D812 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Is there a chemical only reaction which replaces the h202 (hydrogen peroxide) maybe that would reconvert the carbon back to sugar? Just curious

M3T4LH34D812 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

What insights could these reactions yield when contemplated within human's ? Meaning, blood type , ion channels, sweating vs panting, diabetes and why some people have black melanin while others have white or absence of, Does blood type B+ sugar antigen (insulin?)code for blood surface protiens a sulfer element in the ring intended for metabolization in B+ tissues? What if people are type O- how can they metabolize sugar if they're never placed onto or carried by the red blood cells?

tijgerjorri (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

sulfuric acid is available in most countries as a 'professional' drain cleaner. However the public can buy it. Go to a hardware store and ask for it. You don't want the sodium hydroxide based drain cleaner, but sulphuric acid. It's higher concentration than 90% sulphuric. In my area they sell 97%. However, this stuff is not very pure. I however, have bought 2 Liter Lab-reagent grade from a supplier (I'm a hobbyist).

Amajanshi (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Hey he/she didn't wear gloves! : O