• Sulfuric acid (230g)

• Water

• Reisin

• calcium carbonate (245g)

• Lab utensils (Beakers, filters, stir rod)

The 2 main ingredients we used in this experiment are cotton balls(77g) and sulfuric

acid(230g). We begin this experiment by diluting the acid with ice, because the acid might be too

concentrated and would possibly burn all the cotton balls. Then we put the cotton into the acid

one handful at a time. The cotton begins to dissolve in the acid, but some cotton remains, so we

put the container in a hot water(50c) bath to help dissolve the cotton. We then proceed to dilute

the solution even more by adding it to 456mL of boiling hot water which was a major step to

begin breaking down the cellulose into glucose. Then we cooled down the solution by

surrounding the container with ice. While the solution cools down, we prepared another mixture

needed which is calcium carbonate(chalk). We mix the chalk(245g) with 125mL of water. Once

cooled, slowly add the chalk mixture into the cotton solution. After mixing now we need to filter

out all the sugar water out of it.

The sugar water was full of impurities, side products and acid so we needed to filter it out

again. To filter the water, we used a chemical often used to filter aquarium water called resin.

We put the resin in a tube which would allow the solution to run through while pulling out all the

acid and side products. We did this process twice making the solution purer and a lighter color.

Then we removed a lot of water in the solution by putting it in a dehydrator for about 35 hours.

We noticed the solution still smelled strange and slightly acidic, so we ran it through the filter

add water, so we had to remove it again. And now we waited for it to crystallize.

Results

It did not crystallize, instead it had become gooey which had the texture of melted sugar,

so this meant we are on the right track. We thought of a solution to fix it by putting it on a hot

pan to completely boil all remaining water and to caramelize the sugar. The sugar finally

crystallized which meant it was time to put it in the cotton candy machine. It failed; the sugar we

made had a melting point too low, so it had trouble cooling in the machine giving it its stringy

texture. And once again we came up with another solution of caramelizing the sugar to increase

its melting point. Finally, successfully, the cotton candy he made turned out to be thicker than

the regular kind, came out brown and tasted good yet slightly burned.

Discussion

In this experiment we saw that some steps didn’t go as planned therefore needing to come

up with solutions to fix it. When the solution became gooey it was because there was still water,

so we had to remove it by heating up the solution. In our first attempt of putting the sugar into

the cotton candy machine it failed because the melting point was too low and only made a mess

inside the machine. The sugar would just sling into the sides of the machine so to fix this we

caramelized the sugar to get it to the proper melting point. Although it doesn’t seem like an

overly complicated experiment it did take quite a lot of time to conduct. The results were not as

expected but he did the best with what he had and made his dream of making cotton candy from

cotton balls a reality.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we saw that it is possible to make cotton candy from the glucose molecules

in cotton balls. Although Nile had a plan, we saw that it didn’t go exactly as planned so he had to

improvise and think of solutions to make this experiment succeed. Also, while having limitations

of no fancy equipment or chemicals and just using items anyone can get.

References

Nile. “Turning Cotton Balls into Cotton Candy.” YouTube, 3 Sept. 2021,

youtu.be/vHuFizITMdA?si=Hzn5sCPTBepTGIoA.