The carbon snake is a demonstration of the dehydration reaction of sugar by concentrated sulfuric acid. With concentrated sulfuric acid, granulated table sugar (sucrose) performs a degradation reaction which changes its form to a black solid-liquid mixture.[1] The carbon snake experiment can sometimes be misidentified as the black snake, "sugar snake", or "burning sugar" reaction, all of which involve baking soda rather than sulfuric acid.
- ^ Shakhashiri, Bassam Z.; Shreiner, Rodney; Bell, Jerry A. (2011). "1.32 Dehydration of Sugar by Sulfuric Acid". Chemical Demonstrations a handbook for teachers of chemistry volume 1. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 77–78. ISBN 978-0-299-08890-3.