The Sweet Side of Chemistry--Candy!

It’s National Chemistry Week, October 19-25, and candy is on the minds of many this time of year. It’s only fitting that this year’s focus for the week is on the chemistry of candy. To celebrate, here are a few fun experiments to try.

Candy bar density: Try taking a few different types of snack size candy bars and putting each in a separate bowl of water. Which ones sink and which ones float? Why do they float/sink? Think about the content of the candy bars.

Mentos and soda: This experiment is best performed outside—it can get very messy! You’ve probably heard of the experiment using Mentos and coke. Design your own experiment with Mentos in different types of soda (plastic bottles work better than cans) or using different amounts of Mentos. Which soda produces the highest geyser? Which number of Mentos produces the highest geyser? What are some possible explanations? Remember to only change one variable at a time while you are experimenting!

Solubility and M&Ms: Which parts of M&Ms are soluble and which parts are not? To find out, put a few M&Ms in a bowl of water. Wait 20 minutes and observe. What do you notice dissolved into the water? What pieces have not dissolved in the water? Why do some parts dissolve and others do not?

Rock candy and crystals: Have you ever eaten rock candy before? Rock candy is made of sugar crystals on a stick. You can make your own sugar crystals using a saturated solution of sugar (water mixed with as much sugar as you can dissolve in it without any sitting on the bottom) and a piece of string. There are many good recipes for rock candy on the internet (the one I like is on the Exploratorium website). Look for one and make your own sugar crystals!

This information is from the American Chemical Society website,

http://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/outreach/ncw/

celebratingchemistry/ncw-2014-celebrating-chemistry-english.pdf. It has interesting information about candy chemistry and other fun experiments. There’s always an opportunity to have fun with science and chemistry.

Nancy Day lives in Cottage Grove and teaches Science and Chemistry at MTS Minnesota Connections Academy, a state-certified, tuition-free K-12 online public school available to students throughout Minnesota. Information sessions are ongoing. Visit www.connectionsacademy.com for details.