Potassium Nitrate and Water

Formula Weight

101.1032

Density

1.00g/mLat 20°C

Experiment of White Sugar

and Potassium Nitrate

It may be a mixture of potassium nitrate and white sugar in a mass ratio of 13:7 or 6:4, which ignites and produces a red flame, producing potassium carbonate and nitrogen gas. Someone has used this reaction to make a rocket model before, but it used glucose.

Boil potassium nitrate and sugar in water and keep stirring (using an induction cooker; avoid using open flames) until golden brown, then switch to insulation (if it is 7 gears, switch to 3rd gear) until it is cooked like a sauce, and then naturally air dry and ignite to produce the above effect.

Reaction situation

The first scenario: Under heating or friction conditions, white sugar can undergo a slight reaction with potassium nitrate. According to the reaction mechanism, the reaction products include carbon dioxide, water, nitric oxide, and partially alkyl nitric acid. The equation C12H22O11+4KNO3 → 4CO2+5H2O+4NO+K2CO3 represents the general situation of the reaction components between white sugar and potassium nitrate. Among them, C12H22O11 represents the formula for sucrose (white sugar) molecules, while KNO3 represents the formula for potassium nitrate molecules.

The second scenario: In the presence of strong acids, white sugar and potassium nitrate can undergo more intense reactions, generating strong exothermic phenomena that may even cause explosions. This is because the nitrate ion NO3 has a strong oxidizing ability, which can oxidize the hydroxyl and ketone groups in the white sugar molecule, thus changing its molecular structure. The structure of the white sugar is destroyed, generating a series of oxidation products, some of which are flammable and explosive substances. This can be referred to as the oxidation reaction of potassium nitrate.