#11: Candy Cane Incineration

In the spirit of the holiday season, I decided that I ought to perform a festive chemistry experiment. The question was, what should I do? My answer: incinerate a peppermint candy cane in a test tube of molten potassium chlorate (KClO3). What else? To start, I unwrapped my candy cane and ate the top portion. Next, I scooped a small amount of potassium chlorate powder into a test tube. This would act as my oxidizer. After holding the tube over my butane burner, I was able to melt the powder into its more reactive liquid form. With the test tube securely in place, I dropped the half-eaten candy cane inside. 

As soon as the spiraled segment entered the liquid, there was a miniature explosion that caused it to shoot out like a mortar shell. Even though the piece of candy was on fire, I still had my potassium chlorate and wasted no time adding another candy cane. This time, the clump of peppermint fuel stayed in place long enough to be completely consumed. At its peak, the sugary inferno resembled a propane torch on full blast. While the pyrotechnics were pretty cool, the best part of the reaction was its wonderful smell of burnt caramel. Merry Christmas!

The vigorous firestorm produced by this reaction shows how much energy is in a simple candy cane.