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Science help!

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Meh:
My chemisty teacher let my class do their own experiments, i chose the classic "Gummy bear in potassium chlorate"
So my main question is...what exactly is happening?
Why exactly does the gummy bear start burning?
All i know is that you heat up the potassium chlorate in order to release some of its oxygen and turn it into potassium chloride (aq).
Thanks in advance!

Xamdiz:
I don't really know about this topic, but I'm currently trying to find a break from my work so I'm going to answer this from the top of my head.

IIRC, potassium chlorate is an oxidant (or the opposite, whichever release Oxygen I guess), so when you heat it up it will release oxygen atoms. Oxygen react to carbons and basically burn things. I assume that gummy bear contains a lot of sugar (which contain a lot of carbon, cmiiw) and it reacts with the oxygen that this potassium chlorate release.

So there you have it, if you doubt me I won't blame you. I got a B and B- respectively for my Chemistry I and II back in my first year in university, but I recall I was quite good with it back in my highschool days, I dunno it's been years since the last time I do chemistry.

Meh:
That makes sense...but one question comes to mind
Why use potassium?
Doesn't any other high oxigen chemical work just as well?

watson374:
Because, to put it mildly, potassium is reactive like fuck.

Vythcaex:
It's also not very uncommon, and not overly reactive.

You could do the experiment with, say, francium, but that would be pretty damn dangerous.

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