Making Magic at Home with MOTAT - Carbon Sugar Snake

Conjure up a magical snake this Halloween with some simple ingredients you may have around your home! Make sure you ask an adult for help.
What you’ll need for this experiment:
• 40g of sugar (we used brown, but we recommend you use white sugar for best results)
• 10g of baking soda
• Bucket or bowl of sand
• Lighter fluid
• Lighter
Step 1: Mix 40g of sugar with the 10g of baking soda
Step 2: Ask an adult to add a decent swirl of lighter fluid to the sand in the bowl, making sure it looks wet to the eye
Step 3: Pour the sugar and baking soda mixture onto the part of the sand which is wet with lighter fluid
Step 4: Step back and ask an adult to light the mixture on fire using a lighter
Step 5: Watch for results!
So why do black tendrils appear in the mixture? Making it look like a fancy magic trick, perfect for witches!
When the baking soda gets hot, it makes carbon dioxide gas. The pressure from this gas pushes the carbonate from the burning sugar out of the sand, producing the 'black snakes'.