The Leaning Tower of Carbon

The Leaning Tower of Carbon

By Ashley Carter

C₆H₁₂O₆ + H₂SO₄--> CO₂ + H₂O + C + HSO₄

~Materials~

- 50 mL Sulfuric Acid

- 140 ml Beaker

- 50 ml Sugar

-Safety Goggles & Apron

~Safety Tips~

* Make sure you use safety goggles and apron.*

*Don't inhale too much of the gas from this experiment.*

*CAUTION- Contents are very hot.*

~Experiment~

Step 1- Pour the sugar into the 140 ml beaker

Step 2- Pour the sulfuric acid into the beaker with the sugar

Step 3- Hold the beaker and stir

Step 4- Stand back and wait

View the movie below

~Questions~

Why did the substance turn black?

Who was the first to do this experiment?

What chemical changes took place?

Gilbert Newton Lewis

1875-1946

Gilbert Newton Lewis was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts. He was a U.S.

physical chemist who had a major contribution to the theory of chemical bonding.

Lewis graduated from Harvard and studied in Germany for two years and then went to

the Philippines as a government chemist. From 1905-1912 he was at the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology and then spent the rest of his career at the University of California at Berkeley. He discovered this experiment in 1932.

~Links~

~Historical Events of 1932~

Scientists spit the atom.

Air conditioning was invented.

Amelia Earhardt first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.