The Chemistry of Pop Rocks

Introduction

pop rocks is a candy that when melting in your mouth makes a loud crackling noise. in 1979 there were rumors going around that a certain famous boy ingested pop rocks and he exploded, they sent about 50,000 letters to school principles reassuring them that Pop Rocks had less then half the amount of sugar than a can soda. around 1983 the pressure from worried parents became to much so Pop Rocks had to be taken off the market. there are people today who still believe the urban legend of the exploding child , a famous cereal ads child.

Composition of ...

Pop Rocks are made by mixing sugar, lactose, corn syrup, water, and artificial colors/flavors. The solution is heated until the water boils off and combined with carbon dioxide gas at about 600 pounds per square inch (psi). When the pressure is released, the candy shatters into small pieces, each containing bubbles of pressurized gas. If you examine the candy with a magnifying glass, you can see the tiny bubbles of trapped carbon dioxide.

Main Chemicals, Compounds, Components

Chemistry's Role

Pop Rocks is a hard candy that have been crystallized with carbon dioxide using a patented process. the mixture of; sugar, lactose,corn syrup, water, colors/flavors is heated up until all the water boils off. the mixture is then combined with 600 pounds per square inch (psi) of Carbon dioxide gas. when the pressure is released the mixture shatters into small pieces that have bubbles of pressurized gas.

when you put the pieces of candy in your mouth your saliva melts the candy, letting the Carbon dioxide start to escape making the tiny bubbles pop. this is the sizzling noise you here as the pieces pop around in your mouth.

Background Research

pop rocks were developed in 1956 by general foods research scientist William A. Mitchell, but wasn’t introduced to the market until1975. Pop Rocks melts in your mouth that has mild “crackling” and popping noise. the original flavors were Orange, Cherry and Grape.

Resources

www.poprockscandy.com

www.poprocksrocks.com/

science.howstuffworks.com › ... › Innovation › Science Questions- this is where i found the composition of pop rocks.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Pop-Rocks/- this is the at home lab to make pop rocks.

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