"Pharaoh's Snakes": history of a fun pyrotechnical experiment and its applicability in teaching basic chemical principles

Quimica nova

Montenegro, Lara M. P.¹  Bianchini, Daniela¹  Wallau, Wilhelm M.¹  Ullmann, Marcius A.¹  Schneid, Andressa da C.² 

[1] Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Capão do Leão, Brasil;Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brasil

关键词: Pharaoh's snake;    thermal decomposition;    carbon compounds.;   

DOI  :  10.5935/0100-4042.20140176

学科分类：化学（综合）

来源: Sociedade Brasileira de Quimica

【 摘 要 】

Fun methodologies developed with alternative materials for teaching chemical reactions of carbon are interesting activities for discussing concepts of stoichiometry and thermochemistry. The decomposition of organic matter, CO2 production and coal formation can be demonstrated in the experiment "Pharaoh´s snake". This experiment is attractive since the simple combustion of sucrose generates a peculiar structure of coal. This paper proposes a simple methodology for making the sugar tablets used in the experiment and contextualizes the experimental observations with the chemical reaction of carbon which leads to coal and to the thermodynamics involving combustion processes.

【 授权许可】

CC BY