Our Frivolity this Friday involved dehydrating sucrose -- standard table sugar. We took about 400 cm^3 of sugar and added about 250 mL of concentrated sulfuric acid. The results are what you see above! The acid dehydrated the sucrose, taking out all the hydrogen and oxygen (water). All we were left with was the black carbon! The column of carbon rose out of the beaker due to the pressure of the water that was vaporised to steam by the heat of the reaction. Nifty business! We did it in the hood so that the sulfuric acid fumes wouldn't make us all dead and stuff.
Posts
1 comment:
haha that thing was awesome
Post a Comment