The Black Snake Experiment

The Black Snake Experiment
Materials
Sand
Alcohol or fuel oil or lighter fluid
Baking soda
Sugar (Powdered or you can grind normal)
Safety
This an exothermic reaction that creates carbon dioxide gas and water vapor.

Nothing extremely harmful is released, but just to be safe it is good to do it outside or in a fume hood.

This reaction involves fire. PLEASE USE CAUTION WHEN LIGHTING AND HANDLING THE EXPERIMENT.

*Use caution when pouring the lighter fluid or oil. Always wash hands after and be careful to not ingest it.
THE END
What is it?
This is an experiment that combines sugar, baking soda, and lighter fluid. The mixture is then lit on fire. This creates carbonate snakes with black carbon particles.
How Does It Work?
The sugar and baking soda snake proceeds according to the following chemical reactions, where sodium bicarbonate breaks down into sodium carbonate, water vapor, and carbon dioxide gas while burning the sugar in oxygen produces water vapor and carbon dioxide gas. The snake is carbonate with black carbon particles:

2 NaHCO3 →-> Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2
C2H5OH + 3 O2 ->→ 2 CO2 + 3 H2O
Steps
Step 1
Mix 4 parts powdered sugar with 1 part baking soda.
Step 3
Make a mound with the sand. Push a depression into the middle of the sand.
Step 2
Pour the alcohol into the sugar and soda mixture. Combine and mold into shapes
Step 4
Place the sugar and soda shapes into the depression.
Step 5
Ignite the mound, using a lighter or match.