help me grow a snake using matches and sugar!

[petemurphy]

trying to get this experiment to work for my daughters birthday.

dont quite have the correct stuff in that i have wet sand, white spirits and bicarbonate of soda.

whats the science behind this - so i need equal amounts of soda and sugar? is soda the same as bicarbonate of soda? is the sand just to create something that burns? is white spirits the same as alcoholic spirits?

thanks!



You will need:

Sand
Alcoholic spirit
Soda
Sugar
Matches
A plate for the “snake“
Sprinkle the sand onto the plate, and saturate it with the alcoholic spirit. Mix the sugar and soda together, and add them over the top. Light it using a match. The ”snake" will grow in an instant!
Watch the video here.


https://brightside.me/inspiration-family-and-kids/...

[Shakermaker]

The science being that the reaction between the sugar and soda and the heat creates the ash which forms in a snakelike pattern. Touch it and realise how incredibly light and delicate it is,

[petemurphy]

Shakermaker said:

The science being that the reaction between the sugar and soda and the heat creates the ash which forms in a snakelike pattern. Touch it and realise how incredibly light and delicate it is,

doesnt work but have found some better instructions on the web so am trying again! ps never knew there was a science section!

[Flibble]

Alcoholic spirit will be meths (or surgical spirit) as they are basically just ethanol. White spirit is a light mineral oil so probably won't work.

Soda I'd assume is bicarb.