How to Oxidize a Gummy Bear

Oxidizing a gummy bear is a great experiment to conduct to demonstrate how much energy is contained in carbohydrates. The experiment involves creating an exothermic reaction between potassium chlorate and a gummy bear, causing the bear to burst into flames. This experiment can easily be done in any university or high school chemistry lab. However, it obviously also requires you to take certain precautions to make sure there are no unfortunate accidents in the lab!

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Staying Safe

  1. If you don't have goggles, lab glasses will also work. For maximum protection, opt for nitrile gloves and a full lab coat, if you have one. [1]
    • Opt for a breathing mask that will filter out noxious fumes.
  2. Wear long pants that go all the way down to your ankles and closed-toe shoes that cover the entire foot. Do not wear shorts, skirts, sandals, or other types of open-toe shoes. [2]
    • This is very important for keeping the potassium chlorate off of your skin.
    Advertisement
  3. Tie it in a ponytail or put it up in a bun to keep it out of the way. It's very easy for long hair to fall into the open flame of the Bunsen burner if it isn't tied back. [3]
  4. The oxidation reaction will give off some noxious fumes, which can be harmful if they become concentrated in a particular area of the lab. If you can't use a fume hood, keep the lab as ventilated as possible. [4]
    • Open any screened windows you have in the lab to provide a safe form of ventilation. If the windows of your lab aren't screened, open them narrowly to better prevent animals and objects from outside entering your lab.
    Advertisement
Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Setting up the Lab Equipment

  1. Tighten the utility clamp on the center of the test tube by turning the screw, but only tighten it to the point that the tube is snugly attached to the clamp. Slide the other end of the clamp onto the ring stand pole. Finally, tighten the screw on this end of the clamp to secure it to the ring stand.
    • When you attach the clamp to the test tube, avoid tightening the screw so much that it breaks the glass. Instead, make it just tight enough to keep the test tube from sliding around.
  2. Orient the tube so that the opening faces away from you or any other people. This way, the heat and fumes from the oxidation reaction are much less likely to harm anybody during the experiment.
  3. Push the Bunsen burner's rubber hose over the gas source spout in your lab. Then, situate the burner so that it's below the bottom end of the test tube. Finally, move the utility clamp up or down the ring stand as needed so that the bottom of the test tube is about 2 inches (5.1 cm) above the top of the Bunsen burner. [5]
    Advertisement
Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Carrying out the Experiment

  1. Turn on an analytical balance and place the empty plastic weighing boat on it. Press the zero button so that the scales reads “0” with the weighing boat on it. Then, transfer potassium chlorate from the bottle onto a weighing boat in very small increments until the balance reads 6 grams (0.21 oz). [6]
    • Use a scoopula to safely and easily transfer the potassium chlorate from the bottle to the weighing boat.
    • If you're close to 6 grams (0.21 oz) and don't want to overshoot, gently tap the scoopula with your index finger to pour a minuscule amount of potassium chlorate into the weighing boat.
    • Be sure to close the potassium chlorate bottle when you're finished.
  2. Gently squeeze the weighing boat with your hand and pour from the corner to reduce the risk of spills. Once you've finished pouring, gently tap the test tube to ensure that all the solid is at the bottom. [7]
  3. Open the valve on the bottom of the Bunsen burner so that a small opening is slightly exposed. Turn on the gas so that the handle is parallel to the spout. Place a spark lighter directly above the Bunsen burner and squeeze the handle to create a spark and ignite the gas coming from the burner. [8]
    • You may have to adjust the valve under the Bunsen burner at first until a tight bright blue cone of flame can be seen coming out of the Bunsen burner.
    • The potassium chlorate should completely melt in just a few moments.
    • Make sure to keep your hands away from the top of the burner during this process.
  4. Add the gummy bear as soon as possible after the chlorate has melted and you've turned off and moved the Bunsen burner away from the test tube. Use the tongs to place the gummy bear in the test tube in one swift motion. [9]
    • This should be done quickly before the potassium chlorate cools down and freezes.
  5. The melted potassium chlorate produces an excess of potassium chloride and oxygen in the test tube. Once the gummy bear, which is made of sucrose, is introduced into this environment, the sucrose is immediately ignited and broken down into carbon dioxide, water, and energy. This energy is given off in the form of flames and heat that rapidly leave the test tube. [10]
    • Be sure to keep all body parts away from the opening of the test tube, as this is where the heat and carbon dioxide comes pouring out during this reaction.
  6. The test tube will be extremely hot immediately following the oxidation reaction, so it's important to give it sufficient time to cool down. Once it's cooled, remove the test tube from the utility clamp and rinse it out in the sink. Scrub the inside with a brush and liquid soap until all of the reaction products have been removed. [11]
    • Rinse any other lab equipment that came into contact with the chemicals during the experiment, as well.
    Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit

      Advertisement

      Video

      Warnings

      • Potassium chlorate can irritate your respiratory and digestive tracts if you ingest it, so be sure to always wear protective gear when handling it and thoroughly wash your hands afterward.
        Thanks
        Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
      • Carbon dioxide will be produced as part of this experiment, so wear a respirator mask and make sure the area you perform the experiment in is well ventilated.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      • The flame on a Bunsen burner can reach temperatures as high as 2,000 °F (1,090 °C), so keep your hands and arms far away from it to keep from being burned.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Advertisement

      Things You'll Need

      • Goggles
      • Gloves
      • Mask
      • Fume hood
      • Bunsen burner
      • Test tube
      • Utility clamp
      • Ring stand pole
      • Potassium Chlorate
      • Gummy bear
      • Analytical balance
      • Spark lighter
      • Tongs
      • Brush
      • Liquid soap
      • Water

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Dress Modestly for a Mormon Church (for Females)
      How to
      Make Mother's Day Gifts
      How to
      Become Taller Naturally
      How to
      Improve Your Alexa Ranking
      How to
      Do Hairstyles for Curly Hair
      How to
      Get into Real Estate
      How to
      Style Shoulder Length Hair
      How to
      Prepare a Raised Bed Garden
      How to
      Get Rid of Blackheads on Your Nose
      How to
      Build Good Credit
      How to
      Do a Natural Everyday Makeup Look in 10 Minutes
      How to
      Slim Your Face
      How to
      Iron
      How to
      Dress on a Cruise
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://ocw.mit.edu/high-school/chemistry/demonstrations/videos/death-of-a-gummy-bear/gummy_bear.pdf
      2. ↑ https://ocw.mit.edu/high-school/chemistry/demonstrations/videos/death-of-a-gummy-bear/gummy_bear.pdf
      3. ↑ https://www.csub.edu/chemistry/_files/Exploding%20Gummy%20Bears.pdf
      4. ↑ http://sites.jmu.edu/chemdemo/2011/06/14/gummy-bear-sacrifice/
      5. ↑ http://sites.jmu.edu/chemdemo/2011/06/14/gummy-bear-sacrifice/
      6. ↑ https://lecturedemos.chem.umass.edu/chemReactions5_5.html
      7. ↑ http://sites.jmu.edu/chemdemo/2011/06/14/gummy-bear-sacrifice/
      8. ↑ https://ocw.mit.edu/high-school/chemistry/demonstrations/videos/death-of-a-gummy-bear/gummy_bear.pdf
      9. ↑ https://ocw.mit.edu/high-school/chemistry/demonstrations/videos/death-of-a-gummy-bear/gummy_bear.pdf
      1. ↑ https://ocw.mit.edu/high-school/chemistry/demonstrations/videos/death-of-a-gummy-bear/gummy_bear.pdf
      2. ↑ https://lecturedemos.chem.umass.edu/chemReactions5_5.html

      About this article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 12,439 times.

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement