🐍 Black carbon snake: virtual chemistry experiment
Concentrated sulfuric acid rips water out of sugar, leaving a smoking column of carbon.
▶ Launch this experiment freeRuns in your browser on any phone, tablet or laptop. No sign-up, no install, no chemicals needed.
What you'll do
- Add 5 mL of concentrated sulfuric acid
- Watch the sugar char and the carbon column rise
The chemistry behind it
C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ → 12C + 11H₂O. The reaction is so exothermic that the water boils off as steam and puffs up the carbon.
Why do this experiment virtually?
Many school labs can't run this experiment safely or don't have the chemicals. In Faradium you set it up in seconds, repeat it as often as you like, change the amounts and see the real result: colours, gases, precipitates and temperature changes. The lab notebook records every observation with the balanced equation for your write-up.
Frequently asked questions
How do you do the black carbon snake experiment?
1. Add 5 mL of concentrated sulfuric acid 2. Watch the sugar char and the carbon column rise You can run every step free in the Faradium virtual chemistry lab.
What is the chemistry behind black carbon snake?
C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ → 12C + 11H₂O. The reaction is so exothermic that the water boils off as steam and puffs up the carbon.
Can I do the black carbon snake experiment online for free?
Yes. Faradium sets up the bench for you and ticks off each step as you complete it. It runs in any browser on a phone, tablet or laptop with no sign-up and no chemicals.
Chemistry in this experiment
Elements involved: Hydrogen (H), Carbon (C), Oxygen (O).
More experiments to try
🧪 Acid–base titration
Find the end-point of HCl vs NaOH with phenolphthalein and plot the titration curve.
✨ Golden rain
Make lead(II) iodide, dissolve it hot, then watch glittering golden crystals form on cooling.
🐘 Elephant's toothpaste
Iodide-catalysed decomposition of 30% hydrogen peroxide produces a towering, steaming foam.
🔥 Preparing oxygen
Heat potassium permanganate, pipe the gas into a gas jar and confirm with a glowing splint.