Rock Candy Science Fair Projects

Candy, a sweet treat that has been loved by humans for millennium. Today, candy is sweetened primarily by sugar, but have you ever wondered why sugar is sweet or why it is used to make candy? Well, now is the time to find the answers to these questions. The following candy science fair projects will examine the chemical properties of sugar and find out why it is the key ingredient to thousands of different candies.

The first chemistry science experiments that you will want to complete will look at what sugar is. In these basic rock candy science fair projects you will determine what chemical compounds make up cane sugar. If you are interested in advancing this project then compare the chemical compounds found in cane sugar to those found in other sweeteners like corn syrup.

The second rock candy science fair projects that you can work on will explore the different states of sugar. The first step in making most candies is to create a sugar syrup and reduce it as you heat it. During this process the sugar undergoes physical and chemical changes. In this experiment you will take a simple sugar syrup through the various stages including soft ball, hard ball, firm ball, thread, soft crack and hard crack. Your job during this experiment is to explain in detail the chemical and physical changes that occur at each stage.

The third group of sample science fair projects will look at why sugar is versatile as a candy ingredient. For these experiments you will want to look at the molecular bonds that sugar molecules have. Explain how these bonds allow sugar to morph from crystal form to hard crack form. A more advanced project would explain how and why sugar crystals evolve as they are heated.

The fourth idea is to examine what makes sugar sweet. In this experiment you will return to looking at the chemical compounds found in sugar. Identify these compounds and learn what they are. Can you explain why sugar is sweet? An advanced version of this project would compare the chemical compounds that make different sweeteners sweet.

The final fun kids science fair projects that you can complete on sugar is to determine what chemical reactions take place in our bodies when we eat candy. In this experiment you will want to examine both brain chemistry and metabolic chemistry. An advanced project would focus on whether or not sugar can become an addiction. To test this contention you would need to see what part of the brain is stimulated by candy.

EDU 7080 Detectolab Kit	EDU 8355 Super Chem Kit	EDU 8350 Super Chem Science Kit	Young Scientists Club Set 4
Ages 8 and up	Ages 10 and up	Ages 8 and up	Ages 9 - 12